Solstice
by legallyxbrunette
Summary: Edward and Bella are happily engaged, preparing for eternal life together. Only a few things happen to the couple in the course of two months that could change their plans forever. Tons of humor. Give it a chance :D
1. The Test

"Bella?" Edward said softly. 

"Yes?" I looked up into his golden eyes, which were looking at me so lovingly I could have melted. 

"I love you," he said, out of the blue. We were splayed across my bed, watching television, but mostly stealing glances at eachother. He was holding my right hand and not letting go no matter what.

We were getting married in two months. Married.

I sighed, and buried my head in his fragrant chest before I said, "I love you, too." My eyes were closed as I inhaled softly. He smelled so delicious.

"Bella?" he repeated again, this time his velvet voice even quieter. I peered up and his cold lips touched mine, which made my heart go wild. I'd been kissed my Edward so many times before, but never this passionately.

"Forgive me," he said after he softly broke away from me and carefully touched my forehead with his. I leaned a little away from him when I comprehended what he said.

"For what?" I asked, playfully tracing his cold fingers.

"I'm going to break my promise," he said softly. This made my heart stop.

"You're...Which promise?" I asked, taken aback by his words. I turned away from him then, my hair finally working with me for once by falling over my face and shielding my eyes. I knew I would cry if I looked into his golden eyes.

He tucked my hair behind my ear and laughed softly, "I want to sleep with you," he admitted. My heart restarted and I smacked him on the shoulder. Shock crossed his face.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again!" I screamed, knowing that Charlie might have heard if his snoring didn't sound like somebody starting a chainsaw.

"I thought you wanted this," he sounded confused now.

"Edward, I do. But I don't understand why you want to break all your promises now. I'll feel bad if I make you go back on your word just because I'm selfish and-" I stopped before I said my last word and humiliated myself.

He stared at me expectantly, "Go on," He was enjoying this.

"...hormonal," I finished. Edward bit his lip to hold back laughter. I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his finger, stood up, walked to the bathroom, shut the door behind him, and let his laughter spill out. I waited impatiently for him to come back and join me on the bed. As if he could read my mind, he reappeared, giving me a heart attack.

When he saw my expression, his smile vanished and he placed his hand on my shoulder. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, stroking my hair gently.

"Just peachy," I muttered back.

He chuckled and bent down to kiss me again, the same as before. I won't lie and say that I didn't enjoy this. This was the best kiss I had ever recieved. It closely resembled the kiss I shared with Jacob when he tricked me by telling me he would kill himself if I didn't plant one on him. Except this was passionate and Edward's kissed made me want to gasp for air instead of gag.

Normally if I had tried to suck face with Edward so passionately, he would have become statue-like and pushed me away. So I gave him the same treatment.

"No, Edward," I said sternly. He didn't take me seriously, but he didn't force me to kiss him again like Jacob would have.

He just stared at me. Then he did something I never would have expected out of Edward. He puckered his lower lip and gave me the puppy dog eyes.

"No!" I said, covering my face with my hands.

Edward had a grip on my hands before I could even blink, and he all but forced me to endure the innocent, begging face. I would not give him his way, no matter how adorable and delicious he was.

"Bella, I won't force you to do this. I'm just _curious_," he said, letting his grip on my wrists go and taking my hand.

I rolled my eyes, "Everybody knows curiosity killed the cat. And where did you learn that face?" I demanded, aggravated that he knew my one true weakness.

He shrugged, "It was one some TV show about a girl who's half pop star, half regular girl. Very absurd transition if you ask me. As if nobody can tell it's her underneath that wig?"

I just laughed and said, "It's just a sitcom, Edward, don't get worked up."

He looked at me, his expression unreadable, "That's not the only thing I'm worked up about," he said, his tone icy. 

I looked pleadingly at him. "Edward...please don't be mad at me about this. I just...don't know if I'm ready yet. I'm only eighteen!" 

"This is why I wanted to wait. You're not ready, and I've been ready for a century!" he said, squeezing my hand this time. I could tell that this was aggravating him. He wasn't used to not getting his way. 

I looked away from him to avoid his piercing stare and when I glanced back up his face was less than an inch away from mine. "Please," he murmured, kissing me slowly and softly. His cold lips sent goosebumps up and down my spine, and his scent dazzled me into giving in.

"Okay," I finally said.

"Bella, you're weak!" he said, sounding exasperated. He got up and walked in the opposite direction from me. I groaned and collapsed back onto the bed, full of chagrin. 

"I don't get you," I said finally, breaking the silence. He stopped pacing and appeared by my side. His lips were twitching, he was fighting a smile, and that made me even more annoyed.

"Why is everything so funny to you?" I demanded.

He shook his head, smiling just a little, and said, "Bella, I love you. You know that. That was just a test. I want you to learn how to say no."

I just looked at him. He would win this game hands down, but it gave me a good excuse to stare at him. He didn't seem to notice, or care, for that matter, so I stared on. He perched his head on his fist and stared patiently.

I laughed at him and leaped over to hug him.

A little startled at first, but enjoying the gesture, he rubbed my back gently and hummed my lullaby. 


	2. Wedding Plans

Chaper 2

Later that afternoon, I managed to convince Charlie to let me and Edward go over to the Cullens'. Charlie just reminded me to be careful and to tell Alice he said hi before I was free.

Edward took my hand and insisted on driving. 

"Edward," I whined.

"I'm driving your truck," he insisted, not letting the conversation go any further. I opened my mouth to protest, but he was already in my truck in the driver's seat. Defeated, I climbed in and slammed the door.

"Don't be mad, love," Edward murmured.

"I'm not," I said, resisting the urge to pout.

"Bella," he paused, turning my face to look at him, "You're mad."

I groaned, annoyed by his accuracy.

"So what are we doing today, besides lying to my father?" I asked, anxious to hear what he had planned. 

"Car shopping," he said matter-of-factly.

"Edward!" I said. "I already have a car!"

"I'm aware of that," he said simply. "But you need a new one. A fast one."

I rolled my eyes, "Says who?"

Edward pointed to himself, then his finger turned to face me. 

"I have never said I needed a new car!" I said defensively.

He shook his head. "Not out loud, anyways."

"Explain, vampire," I said angrily.

"Harsh," he said, laughing dryly. "You've said it in your sleep."

My mouth fell open. "You're lying!"

"Just humor me," he said, pulling into one of the few car dealerships near Forks. The weather outside was, as usual, gray and cloudy. He held his hand out to me, but I still felt like sulking, so I ignored it and walked faster than him.

"Bella," he murmured. I turned quickly and there he was, pinning me against a wall and using his delicious scent to his advantage. I forgot all about his insistence on a new car and wrapped my arms around his neck to pull myself up before I collapsed by the degree of his sexiness.

"Edward," I tried to imitate the sultry tone he used to daze me, but it came out as a choked whisper before it was cut off as he pressed his mouth against mine. We stayed kissing slowly until a car beeped near us and scared me half to death.

"That's rude," Edward snarled.

"So is kissing in public," I reminded him.

He came closer to me again and whispered, "I'll break the rules for you."

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Edward kissed my throat gently, and I realized how this gesture might be tempting to him. I leaned forward again, looking into his gorgeous eyes. They were sparkling with lust. I wondered what mine revealed.

"Your eyes are gold today," I pointed out. He smiled his crooked smile and retreated a few inches away from me to resume public behavior. If only he knew how much I wanted him to bite me already. I didn't want to be away from him ever again.

"Why do you love to make my ego even bigger?" he asked me innocently.

"You're already perfect. It can't hurt," I said jokingly. He took it seriously and looked down at the ground.

"I'm not perfect," he muttered, probably referring to when he left me months and months ago and I resorted to Jacob.

"Edward, please let it go already," I begged.

He looked up and said, "I can't. It's my fault you had to choose between us. It's my fault Jacob doesn't speak to you anymore. I'm sorry." By now his constant apologizing was starting to aggravate me. He punished himself so frequently for that one occaison when he left me, he even apologized in advance before hunting.

"Cheer up, Edward. What's done is done. I forgave you so long ago. I love you right now, and that's what matters," I said, holding up my engagement ring excitedly. This made him smile, even though to me it brought back some infuriating memories of Charlie and Renee's reactions.

Charlie had almost collapsed on the spot, and Renee would have strangled me if Edward wasn't standing in the room.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Edward asked, bringing me back down to Earth. I blinked a few times and looked up at his expectant face, and he just smiled. 

"I'm thinking about our wedding," I admitted.

He looked at me funny. "In a good way?" he asked.

"Of course," I said, laughing.

"So what exactly are you thinking about?" he pried.

"Where we will live," I replied.

He looked confused. "I thought we were staying in Forks," he said.

"I know, but are we going to buy a house or an apartment, or are we going to live with your family?" I asked, watching his expression change.

"Whichever you want," he said, squeezing my hand.

"You're spoiling me. You know that, right?" I asked.

He nodded, "You're cute when you're spoiled."


	3. Tension

Chapter 3

Tension

We stayed at the car dealership for a few hours. I could tell Edward was getting annoyed at my indecisiveness, so we left carless.

"Bella," Edward said casually. 

"Hmm?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"Are you having any...doubts?" he asked boldly.

I was shocked suddenly, and I looked him directly in the eyes. "Of course not. Why? Are you?" I didn't want to hear his answer if it was anything different from "no."

"No!" he said quickly, shocked that I even thought so. "It's just that you've been talking about Jacob in your sleep a lot lately. I was wondering if you were having second thoughts."

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You know I love you more than anything in this world," My voice betrayed me and cracked a few times.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering," he said softly.

"Well, I just didn't know you thought I was so fickle," I muttered.

"Bella," his voice was stern now. "It was just a question, I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to say something you'll regret for the next hundred years," I grumbled. 

Oops.

"What?" he demanded, losing his temper now.

I didn't say anything, and I avoided his gaze by staring at the road. Edward gently put his freezing hand on my chin and turned my face to his.

"Bella, just explain something to me. If you don't want me to beat myself up about leaving you, why do you keep bringing it up?" he asked, sounding anxious for my answer and a little scared at the same time.

There was a painful silence for a few minutes.

"I'm afraid you're going to leave me again," I said finally, feeling my eyes well up with tears and being ashamed that they slipped out in the first place.

"Bella," he said gently, pulling over on the side of the road. He stared at me so lovingly that I was ashamed of myself for even saying the words. "I love you more than I can even say in words. I don't know how to make you believe me when I say that I'm never leaving you permanently. If there was something I could do to show you, I would do it in a heartbeat." He wiped away a stray tear with his thumb.

"I'm sorry," I said very quietly, knowing that he heard me.

"Don't be," he murmured, gently leaning over to kiss me. When his lips parted from mine, he tried to turn the car back to drive, but the stick shift was being difficult.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked, trying to do it myself.

"It's just not working," he replied patiently. He immediately opened the door and stepped out. Just then, another car shot past us, tearing off the door on the driver's side of my truck.

"Kill me," I muttered sarcastically to God, watching Edward's stone expression as he retrieved the door and attempted to fix it with his bare hands. 

"Don't tempt fate, Bella," he grumbled as he finally fixed the door, even though it was horribly mangled now, and came back inside the truck. I just glowered at him, knowing we were stuck here since my car wasn't working.

I jammed my hand down into my pocket, retrieving my cell phone, and called Charlie to let him know we were staying in the truck.

"Who's we?" Charlie asked suspiciously. Dammit, I probably shouldn't have said "we". 

"Me and...Edward," I admitted.

"YOU ARE NOT STAYING OVERNIGHT IN A CAR WITH YOUR FIANCE, ISABELLA! NOW YOU TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE OR SO HELP ME, I'LL GROUND YOU FOR ETERNITY!" Charlie bellowed. Edward started laughing at Charlie's explosion, and I just glared at him. 

"Dad, I don't know where we are right now, so please calm down!" I coaxed him to refrain from popping a blood vessel and he told me to be careful. I hung up and groaned.

"You do realize this is all your fault, right?" I asked Edward sarcastically.

"What?" he asked, laughing at the possibility.

I shrugged, "If you hadn't insisted on me getting a fancy new car, we wouldn't be sleeping together on the side of the road!"

"Yeah, I'm sure that it would be so unbearable if I slept with you right now," Edward rolled his eyes. My mouth fell open.

"I'll have you know that I wouldn't give you the chance to sleep with me right now because I actually paid attention during Sex Ed!" I snapped.

"Obviously, "abstinence is key" is your motto," he muttered.

"Hey! You were the one begging me to have sex with you earlier today!" I reminded him. He laughed at me as if I told a joke.

"Need I remind you that you were the one taking your clothes off not long ago before we fought Victoria and all the newborn vampires? Or was I just imagining that?" he demanded.

"You know what, I didn't know the possibility of having sex with somebody you _love_ and _are going to marry_ was so unbelievable!" I shouted. He stopped and looked at me apologetically.

"I didn't mean that I don't love you and want to," he said. I knew he was telling the truth, deep down I knew he wasn't lying to me. And yet my words burned like acid when I said.

"Then why do you always say things but then act like you don't mean them, Edward?" I asked, biting my lip to hold back unpreventable tears.

"Because I made you a promise that I would love you forever, and that's why you're wearing that ring." 

"I love you too," I said, and he kissed me again.


	4. Arachnophobic

Chapter 4: Arachnophobic

I woke up the next morning and rubbed my eyes. When I opened them a few times and blinked, Edward was staring at me.

"Don't move," he said.

"Good morning to you, too," I muttered.

I turned to see what Edward was staring at. I looked down a little bit and there was a spider on my shirt. A big spider. A big, hairy spider. What else was I supposed to do but scream my head off?

"I said not to move!" He hissed, but I ignored him.

Edward reached over and opened the door to the backseat closest to me. My eyes were wide with terror as the spider crawled down my shirt and onto my shorts.

"Edward," I cried, reaching over to him and tugging on his shirt. He didn't move, he just watched silently. I dug my fingernails into his arm and didn't realize I was drawing blood.

"Bella, honey, you know that doesn't hurt me, so why do you keep doing that?" he asked, trying to shake my nails off his arm. 

"It's actually quite comforting," I replied.

"Well I'm glad my flesh wounds make you feel better," he muttered.

I glowered at him. "Get this hairy thing off me before I pass out."

Edward reached over and shooed it towards the open door. Then he flicked it and sent it flying onto the road.

"Always the humanitarian," I said, smiling at him, even though I was struggling to get my heart to restart.

"It's a harmless spider," he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. "A harmless spider that nearly gave me a heart attack. How long was it on me?" I asked.

"All night," he replied, smiling widely.

"_Edward_!" I yelled, smacking him on the shoulder.

He laughed and said, "I wasn't going to let it bite you. That's my job."

I smiled at him. "Sure, but you have to make me wait two more months!"

"It'll all be worth it on our honeymoon," he said, winking at me. I couldn't wait for our honeymoon. But then it hit me. We didn't have a honeymoon planned. Where could we go, seeing as my boyfriend was as shiny (or shinier) than the huge rock on my finger when placed under sunlight.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he said, shaking me back to Earth.

"Where are we going to have our honeymoon?" I asked, taking his hand.

"Wherever you want," he said, shrugging.

I groaned. "For once it would be nice if you would give me some suggestions!"

"Fine, let's go to Hawaii," he proposed. 

"But you would have to stay inside all day," I whined.

He just looked at me. "If you stay inside with me it won't be so bad."

"I see where this is getting at," I said, grinning. "So what are we going to be able to show everyone when we get back?"

"How about we show my family your new scar?" he said, taking my hand and gently touching his fingers over the scar James left me after he bit me.

"Rosalie won't like it," I said under my breath.

"Rosalie will get over it when she sees how happy we are," he muttered angrily. "Listen, Bella. I need to know if you want Jacob to come. Do you?"

I shrugged.

"Either way is fine with me. I trust you not to leave me at the altar," he murmured.

"Of course not," I said, burying my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

I sighed and whispered, "Can you believe it will be two months until we're finally going to be together forever?"

He laughed, "Yes, I can."

I kissed him gingerly and messed with his hair as he hummed my lullaby quietly. I snuggled in close to him and hummed with him as the hours passed by. I didn't care how long I spent out here in his arms.

Somehow it didn't matter how angry Charlie would be, because I knew Edward would never leave me or hurt me again. I squeezed him tighter and finally drifted off to sleep where I remained until he brought me home, took the blame from Charlie for the broken door on the truck, and then brought me upstairs.

The TV was still on from yesterday, but Edward somehow read my mind and turned it off. He crawled into bed with me and wrapped his arms around me, still humming. 

I stirred a little and turned to face him.

"Edward, why can't Emmett and Rosalie have babies?" I asked.

Edward didn't answer the question, just stroked my hair and continued humming. My eyelids were getting heavy, but I persisted on.

"Vampires can't have babies, can they?" I said quietly, watching his eyes turn sympathetic as he watched my expression fall. Edward and I could never have babies, unless we chose to adopt like Carlisle and Esme. I wish I could know what my babies would look like. 

That I will never know. 


	5. Intruder Alert

Chapter 5: Intruder Alert

I woke up in the morning and Edward was sitting at the foot of my bed, flipping through the pages of _Harry Potter_. 

"What a strange book," he said to me when he was aware that I was awake. "And good morning."

"Why are you reading that?" I asked, curious as to why _Wuthering Heights_ had become so boring to him now. 

He shrugged, "I saw it on your desk and gave it a chance. But really, wizards and witches? What is this?"

I found it strangely hilarious when a _vampire _who was laying on my bed thought it was ludicrous to read about witches and wizards. I just rolled my eyes and shoved him off the bed. 

"Hey!" he said from the ground. I poked my head over the edge to laugh at him, but in a second I was on top of him, my face just inches away from his.

I could smell the sweetness of his breath. It was almost enough to make me drool, but that would probably repulse him, so I kept my saliva to myself. He looked into my eyes thoughtfully.

"You are the best thing that ever happened to me," he said.

"Likewise," I murmured, kissing him again. His lips were hungry for more, just like mine, and two months seemed like two centuries in the time it would take for us to be together permanently.

We stayed like that for a little while, just talking about random things that came to mind. He brought up our conversation last night. I had a hard time remembering the whole thing, but he was understanding and helped me recollect my thoughts.

"Last night you asked me why Rosalie and Emmett can't have babies. The truth is, that once you're a vampire, your reproductive organs stop working," he explained.

My heart sank.

"I'm so sorry," he said, stroking my hair gently. He didn't stop humming that whole time. 

"It's not your fault," I whimpered. He felt bad now for loving me, and because I love somebody who could never supply children to me. I buried my cheek in his chest, and my tears burned my eyes as they fell out. I looked up at Edward briefly to see he was crying, too.

"Sorry about this," I said quietly.

"I haven't cried since I was dying in 1918, and it's nice for a change to see that maybe my heart still has a few beats in it," he said to me, smiling as his tears fell.

"Your heart still beats. If it didn't, you wouldn't love me," I whispered.

"And I do love you. Much more than you know," he murmured. Edward left for a little while to change his clothes, and then he had to go hunting. I could tell he was thirsty. I took this as an opportunity to take a long, hot shower. 

When I was done, I wrapped a fluffy blue towel around myself and walked into the kitchen. Charlie was out fishing with Billy a lot lately, probably ranting about Edward and I. Frankly, he could gossip all he wanted. _Nothing_ was going to stop me from being with Edward.

I retrieved some grapes from the fridge, washed them, and began popping them into my mouth when I heard some tampering at the front door's knob. Somebody was trying to break in. And my car was getting fixed by Emmett right now, so it seemed like there was nobody home. 

I tiptoed over to the window and glanced through the blinds without moving them. Instantly I knew it couldn't be Edward, because he never used the door. Only the window. He said it was "more fun".

I saw a tall, large figure in a white t-shirt and black sweats. He had shaggy, black hair and extremely tanned skin. His muscles were bulging out of his shirt, and it took me a second to realize the familiar face.

I opened the door to reveal Jacob Black, someone who had once been competition for Edward, who was now just my friend. I hadn't seen him in a few weeks, so it felt good when he grabbed me in a huge bear hug.

"I missed you," he whispered. Recently, almost the entire right side of Jacob Black had been shattered, but now he was good as new. _And_ he was hugging me, totally unaware of the fact that I was wearing _only a towel_ and nothing else.

"I missed you, too Jacob. But can you wait for five minutes?" I asked, trying to ignore the encroaching awkward moment.

"Why?" he asked.

I gestured to myself, wearing only my fluffy towel, and he averted his eyes. "Bella, I am so sorry. I honestly didn't know!" 

"It's okay, Jake, just give me a few minutes to get dressed," I laughed nervously and ran up the stairs. When I came back, Edward was lying on my bed, but he already knew I was indecent and wasn't looking my way.

"Hey," I said, a little scared by his upcoming reaction.

"Hi," his voice was monotone and he didn't sound excited at all to see me. 

I got dressed quickly in the bathroom and came out to an empty bed. 

"Edward?" I called, my voice shaky. I ran downstairs to see one of the most awkward conversations on the planet. Edward politely said hello, a little surprised to see Jacob standing in my living room, and more surprised that I was just naked while Jacob was standing in my living room while Edward was gone. 

"Hello," Jacob said, not trying to sound polite in the least. He turned towards me and asked, "So, Bella, how have you been?"

"She's been fine," Edward answered for me. I looked at him, wondering why his tone was so nasty. Even Jacob knew that Edward was barely ever nasty, but there was something wrong.

"I was talking to Bella," Jacob muttered.

Edwards eyes narrowed, "And I was talking for her, you little--"

"Stop!" I said, grabbing Edward by the shirt and dragging him away. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked Edward, not giving him a chance to say no.

"Bella, what the hell is this?" Edward demanded.

"Edward, calm down! You're acting as if I planned Jacob to come over as soon as I got out of the shower!" I snapped.

"Did you?" he asked.

"Did I what?" I demanded. 

"Did you invite him over as soon as I was gone?" Edward asked acidly.

I crossed my arms and growled, "Yes, because I'm your lying, cheating fiance who is secretly sleeping with Jacob behind your back! Of course not!"

He exhaled sharply, not amused with my sarcasm. "This is serious, Bella!"

"I am being serious, and you're being jealous and nasty for no reason at all!" I told him, storming past him angrily.

"Now, wait--" he said.

"How can you think I would ever cheat on you?" I demanded, whirling to face him. He was right there, facing me without shying away or showing any emotion. 

"I don't know what to think," Edward said finally. His words cut me like a knife, and I stepped away from him. 

"You're unbelievable," I whispered. "I would never cheat on you! I can't live without you," 

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Forgive me."

"I love you too much not to," I said, kissing him firmly. He smiled in the kiss, happy to hear those words, and kissed me back.


	6. Beautiful Disaster

_**Chapter 6: Beautiful Disaster**_

_**I walked down the stairs, Edward close behind me. Jacob was watching me, not even paying any attention to Edward. Jacob made some insignificant small talk until he decided that the pack probably needed him, so he left.**_

_**Edward plopped on the couch as soon as Jacob was out the door.**_

_**"Something about him is just wrong," Edward growled.**_

_**"What was he thinking?" I asked curiously, sitting on the edge of the couch. Edward sat up and made room for me next to him. **_

_**"He was thinking about somebody named Heather," Edward said, sounding confused. **_

_**"Who's Heather?" I asked.**_

_**Edward shrugged, "I don't know. Usually he thinks about kissing you, but today was different."**_

_**I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted to think about was Jacob. **_

_**"What do you want to do today?" Edward asked me sweetly.**_

_**I shrugged and said, "Let's go see your family,"**_

_**He smiled crookedly. I figured he was probably missing his family's company. He was with me more now than ever before, and the other Cullens didn't seem to care, but I would miss Edward. There was no car to take, so Edward told me to wait while he got his Volvo.**_

_**After a few minutes, he was back with his Volvo in the driveway.**_

_**I smiled and waved. He just gestured for me to get in, and I obeyed. When I was inside, he said, "You look beautiful."**_

_**"I look like a disaster," I laughed. **_

_**He shrugged. "A beautiful disaster."**_

_**"Bingo!" I said. He smiled wide and then drove like a maniac to the Cullen mansion. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest when we arrived, and Edward loved the sound of it.**_

_**I was ambushed by sweet-smelling vampires when I arrived, all of them hugging me or patting me on the back. Even Rosalie smiled. Emmett was just waiting for me to do something funny, and I didn't want to let him down, so I slipped "accidently" on the slippery kitchen floor and landed on my butt.**_

_**Emmett's booming laughter nearly shook the house while Edward rushed over to help me up, restraining the urge to laugh. I was laughing too as I let Edward get me back on my feet and then slipped again, this time falling forward and nearly knocking both Edward and Esme over.**_

_**By now Emmett was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, not that he needed to, but Rosalie was trying to stop him anyways.**_

_**"It's not that funny, you big oaf!" Rosalie muttered, giggling a little, but not to the extent of her soulmate.**_

_**Alice was hugging me more often than I could count. She was still ecstatic about being able to plan the wedding. She even showed me the dress she bought for herself. It was gorgeous, of course.**_

_**I missed Alice, too. Besides Edward, she was my best friend. I didn't see much of my friends anymore, mostly it was just Edward. I didn't mind much, though. Edward was all the company I needed and more.**_

_**When Jasper saw me, he smiled and waved. He kept his arm around Alice's waist when he gave me a small hug. Carlisle was nowhere to be found, though.**_

_**"Where's Carlisle?" I asked Esme.**_

_**She sighed, "He's been working a lot lately, but he's happy at the hospital."**_

_**Edward tugged on my arm and I followed him upstairs, waving goodbye to the others who were remaining downstairs. He closed the door behind him and showed me a new piano in his room.**_

_**"Edward, it's beautiful," I said, hugging him. "Will you play my song?"**_

_**"Sure," he said, sitting down. I sat next to him, snuggling in close. He started playing quietly and slowly. Then he wrapped his arm around me and kept playing. When he stopped, I was so ready to kiss him.**_

_**He beat me to it.**_

_**When we stopped kissing long enough for me to remember how to breathe, I told Edward I needed to be home soon so Charlie wouldn't have my head. We were home in record time, I guess Edward took me seriously.**_

_**I went inside and walked upstairs. Edward was waiting for me as if he had been there all day.**_

_**"Hi again," I said as I sat next to him.**_

_**"I've got some news," he told me, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him.**_

_**"Good or bad?" I asked.**_

_**"Some of both. You just have to decide," he said, soundind a little strange. **_

_**"Edward, tell me!" I said, tugging on his shirt sleeve impatiently. The suspense was killing me.**_

_**"First, I'm going hunting tomorrow," he said.**_

_**"That's the good news?" I asked, confused.**_

_**He shrugged, "It is if you don't miss me."**_

_**My mouth fell open defensively, "Of course I do!"**_

_**"That's all I wanted to hear," he laughed. Then he said, "And the other news is that Jacob imprinted."**_

_**"Really? Who?" I asked, excited for Jacob. I already knew the answer. It was Heather, and Edward knew I knew this, so he didn't answer me.**_

_**"I want to meet her!" I said, anxious to meet Jacob's soulmate. I had found mine, it was only fair that he found his. Edward agreed to take me to La Push in his shiny Volvo since Emmett was taking his sweet time with my truck. **_

_**So it was set; Tomorrow I was going to meet Jacob's soulmate.**_


	7. RIP Truck

Chapter 7: R.I.P. Truck

When Edward dropped me off in La Push, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and said goodbye before I walked over to the Black residence and knocked on the door.

Jacob answered, a confused look on his face.

"Uh, hi Bella," he said.

"Hey, Jake!" I smiled.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me.

"I wanted to meet Heather," I replied simply.

His eyes narrowed. "How do you know about Heather?"

"Mind-reading vampire boyfriend," I admitted. "He heard you thinking about a girl named Heather and he told me you imprinted. I'm so happy for you, Jacob!"

I hugged him excitedly, but he didn't move.

"Tell Edward to stay out of my mind next time," Jacob snarled into my ear.

I pulled away. "He can't help it. I'm the only one he can't hear."

"Lucky you," Jacob grumbled, letting me in.

I sat down on the couch, saying hello to Billy, who was trying to fix himself a sandwich. Jacob plopped down next to me for a few minutes, then suggested that we go for a walk on the beach. His semi-curly black hair was shorter than usual. 

"So how have you been, Jacob?" I asked.

He shrugged, "A little bored, actually."

I nodded. "So where did you meet Heather?"

"She's Quil's cousin, and she just moved here," he explained. "When I first saw her, I couldn't feel anything but the urge to start talking to her. She's perfect for me."

I smiled. "I'm glad you found your perfect girl."

"You were my perfect girl," he muttered.

"No I wasn't, Jacob," I said under my breath.

"Yes you were!" he said forcefully. 

"I belong with Edward! You have Heather!" I told him, getting angry now.

He sneered, "Why do you say her name like that?"

"Like what?" I demanded.

"Like it's a curse word or something. You say 'Edward' like it's the name of God, but 'Heather' sounds like gum under your shoe," he explained.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Jacob! I'm leaving!"

I dialed up Emmett's number and demanded where my truck was. Rosalie answered instead, since Emmett was out hunting with Edward. 

"Hi, Rosalie," I said.

"Hello, Bella."

"I was just wondering if Emmett had finished my truck yet," I proposed. 

She cleared her throat. "Um, Bella, there's something I need to show you. I can pick you up. Where are you?"

"La Push," I admitted.

"Why?" she demanded.

"I wanted to talk to Jacob," I explained. "I'll meet you at the boundary line."

"Fine," she spat, "See you soon."

She picked me up in her red convertible and drove me to the Cullen's place. I followed her to Emmett's garage, only to see a huge red hunk of metal on the floor.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the massive crumpled ball of metal.

She crossed her arms and waited for me to understand.

"Is that my...?" I couldn't finish my sentence. I didn't want to believe that the pile of metal was the remains of my car.

Rosalie patted me on the back as I was shaking with fury, and then she left me alone to have a personal funeral with my truck. Charlie would probably pop a blood vessel screaming at me, and would most likely ban Edward from the house again.

I dug my phone out from my pocket and dialed Edward's number. I knew he would answer me no matter what.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Edward, put Emmett on the phone," I ordered.

"Why, what's wrong?" Edward sounded concerned. 

"Just _do it,_" I growled, and Edward obeyed.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett said. 

"Emmett, I could kill you right now. Do you know why I'm fighting the urge to go after you and kill you right now?" I hissed.

He laughed nervously. "No, I don't. Can you tell me why?"

"Two words: Red truck," I snapped.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, Bella."

"Why would you do that, Emmett?" I asked frantically.

"Edward asked me to do it for him," Emmett replied simply, suddenly handing the phone back to Edward.

"Bella," Edward cooed, trying to calm me down.

"_Why would you make Emmett destroy my car? Are you INSANE?_" I lost it, basically. Edward took the phone away from his ear.

"I'll show you when I get home," he said simply, hanging up on me. 

I waited patiently at the Cullen's house. Periodically, I was in his room. I played around with the piano, playing "Doe, a Deer" and feeling like a moron since I could barely play that properly. It had been a long time since I played the piano. The last time was when I was still with Renee, and she made me take lessons.

Rosalie and I spent a little time together, too, mostly just discussing Emmett and Edward and then the wedding.

"Am I your bridesmaid?" Rosalie asked, looking into my eyes with her gorgeous gold eyes. 

"One of them, if you want," I said, smiling at her.

"I wish you stayed human, I really do," she said finally.

I shook my head. "Edward and I really want this. I need Edward."

"You already have him. You don't need to be a vampire for him to love you," she said to me, not looking me in the eyes.

"If you were still human, would you be able to stay with Emmett?" I asked suddenly, sick of the guilt she was inflicting on me. She looked me in the eyes now, looking angry.

"Yes, I would! Because I'm completely sure he would love me, old or young!" she snapped at me. I shut my mouth after that. Thankfully, it was only a few more minutes before Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme were home. 

"Edward," I growled, motioning for him to follow me. 

He obeyed silently, listening to me silently as I shouted at him. When I was done, he said simply, "Did you happen to see the car next to the remains of your truck?" 

"No," I replied.

"Follow me," he murmured, smiling his crooked smile. I groaned, but followed him down to Emmett's garage where Edward pointed out a black Audi to me. 

"It's yours," he said to me. My mouth fell open.

"Edward," I choked out, "You shouldn't have."

He put his cold finger on my lip.

"Don't even say it," he laughed deep in his throat. "I love you, and I want you to have this car. Please take it."

"How can I refuse?" I asked, getting in the driver's seat. I pressed a button and rolled the window down. "It smells like new car!"

"It should," he said, kissing me through the open window.

My finger wiggled over to the window button and I pressed it, rolling it up, stopping Edward from kissing me. He rolled his eyes at me, and I stuck my tongue out at him from behind the window.

"I love you!" I said.

"Sure you do," Edward said, leaving me in the car by myself, laughing as he left. I loved to hear that sound.


	8. Hide and Seek

Chapter 8: Hide and Seek

Later that night, after I had driven my Audi home and Charlie had gotten a shocked eyeful, I was waiting in my room for Edward to come. I felt some cold air being blown on my neck when Edward said, "Boo!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to hug him.

He picked me up in his arms and spun me around. I felt so safe in his strong arms. By the time he set me down, I was feeling a little dizzy.

I was bored, so I logged on to my computer and emailed Renee. She wanted to know how things were going with me and Edward and I told her things were fine and the date was set for August 13.

I yawned and Edward carried me to my bed instantly.

He plopped next to me, grabbing the second _Harry Potter_ book from my shelf and reading it. The lights were all off, and yet he was reading.

"How can you see the words?" I asked curiously.

He laughed, "I'm a vampire. You said it yourself, is there anything I can't do?" 

_Yeah, have babies._ I thought to myself. Even I knew that wasn't fair. I was thanking God right then that Edward couldn'd read my mind. 

"I know what you're thinking," he said.

_Shoot. _

"Sorry," I muttered, turning away from him in the bed.

"I would trade anything to be human for you," he murmured.

"Would you trade me?" I asked.

"Anything but you," he corrected himself.

He sighed and sat up. "Maybe you should be with a human."

"What? No!" I said hurriedly, grabbing his arm.

"Jacob and you would be happy together and you know it," he reminded me. I shook my head defiantly.

"Edward, you're the only one I want to spend my life with. My life and forever. I want you much more than children. You are the most important thing in my life," I explained, still gripping his arm.

He took me in a soft, gentle hug. "I love you."

"I love you so much," I whispered in his ear. He smiled and kissed my cheek. I buried myself in my chest and fell asleep. He was patient and stayed with me all night. 

The next morning Charlie asked me to spend some time with Alice, so I called her and asked to spend the night. She was ecstatic, and she told me to drive over in my awesome new car. I did sixty miles an hour, which Edward wasn't very impressed with, and made it there quickly.

Alice greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and tripped Edward as he walked in with me. He wasn't amused, like I was, and he just stormed up to his room.

"What's his problem?" she asked me.

I just shrugged. He was especially crabby this morning. I went to visit him once when Alice was downstairs getting some ice cream for me. He was sitting on his bed listening to his MP3 player when I snuck up on him.

"Hi," I said, smiling at him.

He gave me a quick kiss and I sat next to him. 

"Having fun with Alice?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "Atleast I'm not being held hostage."

"Who says you aren't?" he grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't count. I like being held hostage by you."

He kissed me again, this time softer and slower. Kissing him was as easy as breathing. It was so natural to me now, so fluid. I could kiss ten thousand guys in a row blindfolded and be able to pick out Edward from all of them. Maybe the fact that Edward's body temperature was below freezing helped a little, but that wasn't really the point. 

I wanted to kiss him all day long. I brought him downstairs to hang out with me and Alice, and he stayed with me for a few hours before he left to spend some time with Emmett and Jasper.

"They may be vampires, but they're still men," Alice muttered.

"And they need their man-time," I laughed.

Just then, Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs, and she was down on the ground floor in less than two seconds.

"Let's go find our manly-men!" Alice said, laughing. Rosalie shrugged and joined us as we went to find our soulmates. Emmett couldn't be too hard to find, seeing as he was humongous, but all three seemed to have disappeared.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Jasper?" Alice called.

"Emmett!" Rose shouted.

Silence.

"They're hiding," Alice said. Suddenly her expression was blank, and I knew she was seeing something. When she snapped back to Earth, I was tugging on her sleeve.

"Alice, what did you see?" I was still yanking on her arm when she whipped a pantry door open and revealed Jasper.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Jasper said, referring to her vision. 

"No it's not. It's helpful insight," she laughed, hugging him from behind. "Now help us find the others."

"Never!" he said, suddenly bolting off, remaining loyal to his men.

"That's one," Rose said, high-fiving me and Alice.

"Edward! I'm leaving!" I threatened. I was already out the door when I felt him appear behind me and grab me from around my waist. He shut the door and dragged me back inside, ignoring my kicking.

He unloaded me on the couch and laughed at my helplessness.

"Wow, I got you that easily," I said, poking him and running down the hall and leaving him on the couch.

"You can't hide from me in my own house!" he shouted after me.

"Watch me!" I called back, silently crawling down into the basement. Edward's icy hand grabbed the basement door right before it was completely shut, and I tried to hold it closed. I saw a board of wood nearby, so I grabbed it and slid it through the inside handles.

"Bella!" he said. "Open up!"

I blew a raspberry towards him and explored the basement.

"Wow," I whispered, looking at everything down in the basement. There were books surrounding every wall, every inch of wall besides the window was covered by books. I explored a little while Edward was still banging on the door.

I had a few books in my hand when the outside entrance to the basement opened up and Edward jumped down and grabbed me again.

"Come on, Bella!" he said, grabbing my arm. He took the books from my hand. "What are these?"

"I don't know, I found these in the Cullen library," I said, shrugging.

"I've never seen this before," he admitted.

"What do you mean? You live here," I said, snatching my books back. 

"I'm going to ask Carlisle when he comes home. Come on," he dragged me back into the house. Emmett was still nowhere to be found, and Jasper had disappeared again.

"Rose, I've got to hand it to you. Your soulmate really knows how to hide," Alice told her, ignoring the piercing stare.

"Knowing Emmett, he should have burst out laughing by now. He must have taped his mouth or something," Rose muttered.

"Hey!" We heard the booming roar from the garage and Emmett appeared in front of Rosalie instantly. He was enormous.

She pushed him back onto the couch. "You big oaf! You fooled us!"

"That's the point!" he said, laughing. He dragged her on top of him on the couch. They were both laughing. Alice's expression was blank, like she was seeing something again.

"Alice, no more cheating," I warned her.

"Speaking of cheating," she growled at me, "Bella, can I see you for a minute?"


	9. Forks 500

Chapter 9: Forks 500

"Alice, what's wrong? What did you see?" I asked. 

She glared at me. "Are you going to cheat on Edward?"

My eyes widened in shock. "Of course not! I love Edward!"

"Then why did I just see kissing someone who isn't my dear brother while you're in your wedding dress?" she demanded.

"What?" I was so angry now I could have slapped Alice. There was a little more than a month left until our wedding, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You had better not leave my brother at the altar!" she warned me.

"Alice, I won't! Where is this coming from?" I demanded. Suddenly Edward stormed in.

"Alice, what is going on?" he shouted. Alice just shook her head. 

"Just tell him! He'll see it in your head anyways!" I said sadly, looking at the ground.

"If anyone is going to ruin your marriage, it will not be _me_," Alice growled, and left the room. Edward just looked at me, confused. I was crying right now, and Edward wiped a tear.

"Don't cry, Bella," he said, wrapping his arms around me in a gentle hug.

"You saw what I'm going to do to you," I said, pulling away. "So how can you still love me?"

Edward shook his head. "Alice's visions aren't always accurate. Things change. Alice could be so wrong."

"Edward, why are you being so nice to me? I don't deserve it," I said.

He laughed deep in his throat. "It's because I love you and we could survive anything. We always do."

I smiled and kissed him. "I love you too. And I have an idea."

"Oh, I'd love to hear this," he groaned.

"Just trust me, okay?" I said, pulling on his hand. He followed me outside. We stood in front of his car and mine. 

"Why are we standing in front of our cars?" Edward whispered to me. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you want to race?" I asked, purely out of boredom.

"Bella, this is a stupid idea!" he said, trying to go back inside.

"That just shows you're scared!" I said to his back. He froze and turned.

"That's it!" He said, laughing and getting in his Volvo.

I was in mine, and we both left the driveway at the same time. I followed beside him vigilantly until my phone rang. I answered it; it was Edward.

"Hello, beautiful," he said sweetly. I glowered at him in his window. He had the nerve to smile and wave.

"Sweet talking me won't make me let you win," I told him, hanging up on him. He laughed loudly in his own car, loud enough for me to hear. We came upon a vacant parking lot, where I challenged him to whoever was faster at circling the entire lot five times. He just laughed again and revved up his engine.

The race was close. I was afraid I would crash into him if I lost control. Of course, he probably would have saved the day in the end. In the middle of the race, Alice called me and told me I was going to win. Of course, that distracted me and I lost my lead. 

"Alice! I have to go!" I screeched, hanging up and throwing my phone onto the passenger seat. Edward must have heard, because he was laughing his head off. He was killing me by now, considering he's been driving for over a century, but then somehow I passed him.

I was in the lead at the end of our fifth lap. I realized I won. I stopped my car and ran out to greet my losing fiance.

"Ha! I beat the vampire!" I cheered, dancing around in place.

He chuckled and took my hands. "I let you win."

"Haha, yeah right, vampire boy!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

He rolled his eyes and watched my victory dance.

"Are you done yet?" he asked me.

"Nope!" I laughed, reaching over to kiss him sloppily, almost missing. He pinned me against my car and kissed me deeper and longer. His lips brushed past my jawline and he kissed my neck.

He left my skin tingling. 

I wrapped my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around him, holding myself onto him. His hand held one of my legs up, the other tangled in my chocolate brown hair.

I was having trouble breathing as he kissed my neck.

"Bella, breathe," he said, laughing deep in his throat.

"You are the evilest creature I've ever met," I told him.

"How so?" he asked, sounding amused.

"You're dazzling me again," I told him. He set me down on the ground and contemplated what I just said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he said, sounding confused.

"You could stop a world war with that," I pointed out. 

He shrugged. "Can I make you kiss me again?"

"You don't need to dazzle me for that," I reminded him, standing on my tiptoes and giving him a quick kiss.

**Allright everybody, this is the author, legallyxbrunette. I really love the Twilight series since my friend Theresa got me hooked on it. I'm just trying to do my own version of the next book after Eclipse. I'm calling it Solstice just because Breaking Dawn is copyrighted. Anyways, please review and I really hope you enjoy it. Oh, and Hope.Flies, sorry for my "cliff" but I just think that's what makes somebody want to read a story so that's why I do it. Thank you so much for continuing to read the story as I post it. I'm a really fast typist and I was up until one last night writing just because I want to get it out there before I forget. I don't usually leave author's notes but I'm bored. Enjoy the rest of Solstice. I don't know how long it's going to be, so favorite it and keep reading!**


	10. Merman

Chapter 10: Merman

After the drive back to the Cullen's house, Alice and Rosalie were in their swimsuits, getting ready to go to the Community pool. Somehow I never imagnined seeing any of the Cullens swimming.

I figured maybe I was insane, but I never thought creatures unable to be exposed in sunlight would be going swimming.

"How can you guys go swimming? What about the sun?" I asked.

"No, silly, we wait until it's dark to go in the water," Alice explained. I shrugged.

"That makes sense," I shrugged.

"Bella, do you want to join us?" Jasper said, looking stunning in his swimsuit. He had chiseled abs and biceps that were bulging out of his arms.

"I'd love to, only I don't have a swimsuit," I said.

Edward stepped up and said, "I can take you home so you can get your swimsuit."

"No, I meant I don't have one period," I admitted.

Alice gasped. "There is something wrong if a vampire has a bathing suit and a human doesn't. We definitely need to go shopping!"

"In the meantime," Rosalie interrupted her sister, "you can borrow one of mine." I followed Rosalie upstairs and picked out a white halter swimsuit with a black palm tree design. When I came down the stairs with a towel under my arm, Edward's jaw dropped.

"You look--" he began.

Esme cleared her throat.

"--Very beautiful," Edward finished. 

I smiled and Alice came up to me, discussing the size of the bathing suit I was wearing, and she told me that she had the same style only hers was black and the palm tree design was in white. I was simply tuning her out and I was gazing at Edward's topaz eyes. 

"Are you listening to me?" Alice asked me, snapping her long, pale fingers in my face. I snapped out of it and Edward shifted his gaze, too. 

"Yes, Alice," I replied thoughtlessly.

"I understand you're hopelessly in love. So I guess you have no use for me," Alice whined, pretending she was crying. Her expression was heartbreaking.

"Alice…" I cooed. "You know I love you!"

She was chanelling Edward when she puckered her lower lip and gave me the innocent puppy expression. "Do I?"

"Yes, of course I love you! If I hated you, you wouldn't be planning my wedding!" I convinced her that she was significant and this satisfied her. Meanwhile, Edward was eavesdropping and he was fighting back a smile by biting his lip.

I glowered at him while we got ready. I knew it was getting darker and darker outside. I rode in Edward's Volvo while Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie piled into Emmett's Jeep.

Emmett was the first one to leap out of the car and he cannonballed into the deep end, causing humongous ripping waves. Jasper was next in the water, disappearing underneath the darkness. Alice and Rosalie were next, each delicately diving into the water, leaving nothing but a few ripples as they disappeared. 

Neither one surfaced until a few minutes later. 

I was enjoying the show when Edward grabbed my hand and we walked together towards the edge of the pool.

"You ready?" he asked me.

"It's so dark," I pointed out. 

He laughed. "Trust me, you'll go blind if we turn the pool light on."

"I feel blind right now," I muttered.

"Don't worry," he assured me. "I'll stay with you."

And I trusted him to hold my hand the whole time, because he was the type of person who would give me the shirt off his back and die himself rather than see me suffer.

I smiled.

And then, as I clung onto his hand, we both jumped in feet first. He immediately pulled me up to the surface. I couldn't see much underwater, but what I could see was incredible. Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, circling each other as they swam. They were almost dancing, so graceful in the water.

I longed to be as graceful as them.

Edward watched, still holding my hand.

I took a deep breath the next time I surfaced, when I went back down, Edward was so close to my face it scared me. I could hear my pulse through my ears. He smiled.

Then he kissed me and underwater it was like slow motion. But I couldn't stop. The urge to breathe basically disappeared. I was kissing him so passionately, and he was so hungry for more. I wanted more, too.

So much more.

He was so perfect in everything. He kissed like a god. He swam like a merman. I was so wrapped up in him I barely noticed when one of my lungs almost exploded. Suddenly Edward broke away and lifted me to the surface without a sweat.

I gasped for air, then submerged under water again and kissed him like before. Only this time my legs wrapped around his body, my arms around his neck, pulling myself even closer to him. I wanted to be a part of him. And while I was weightless underwater, I felt invincible.

I was so out of breath by now, but I didn't stop kissing him. I was afraid if I stopped kissing him, I would lose him. My pulse was racing, I felt like my heart was in my throat. Edward and I surfaced at the same time, still kissing, but he was holding me up by my legs, which were still locked around him, and he was carrying me as if I was light as a feather.

"I love you so much," I whispered as soon as he stopped kissing.

"I love you too," he said, "and kissing you never gets old."

Then he smiled his crooked smile and I went to kiss him, and for once I found something he wasn't perfect at. We bumped heads when we went in for our kiss, and laughed it off. We kissed one more time before we realized we had an audience; the other Cullens.

Only Emmett laughed, and I was happy that I wasn't a perfect vampire yet, because I probably wouldn't make Emmett laugh as much if I was.

**Ok you guys, it's me again! Thank you so much for continuing to read. I love reading you guys' reviews because they make me want to write so much more. I just read a really great story called "Thirteen Reasons Why…" by Runaway xo and it is just amazing. It's on my favorite Stories list if you want to read it. Keep reading for more, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! **


	11. Slight Problem

Chapter 11: Slight Problem

Edward and I were laying together on my bed. I was in his lap, and he was gently stroking my hair while he hummed my lullaby. I was asking him questions about the wedding.

"What color tie are you going to wear?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Red?"

I let out a sigh of relief.

"What?" he asked. "I thought you were going to say blue," I replied.

"What's wrong with blue?" Edward said, laughing lightly as he kept combing is fingers through my hair.

"Well, nothing if it's a sapphire blue, but a cerulean on you would just be wrong," I explained simply.

He just stared down at me. I looked up at his critical expression and asked, "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing…it's just that I _happen _to like the color cerulean."

I laughed. "I'm sorry I insulted cerulean."

He rolled his eyes and under his breath, he muttered, "Humans…"

I don't think he expected me to hear him, but I did. "Hey!"

"Silly Bella," he murmured. "I would love you even if you were a gnome."

I snorted. "A gnome? Atleast an elf, but a _gnome_?!" I demanded, laughing. Edward laughed with me, and I cuddled up against his hard, toned body and inhaled. The collar of his shirt was brushing up against my face, and it smelled of his delicious scent. So many urges were crossing my mind.

"Bella, you're killing me here," he said.

"How?" I asked, sitting up.

"_Please_ tell me what you're thinking," he begged, speaking softly, and making sure his breath was blowing in my face so he could dazzle me. 

"Stop it!" I said, clamping my hand over his mouth. He kissed my hand lightly, making sure that his eyes bore into mine. He finally convinced me to spill the beans and I gave him a hint.

"It involves you," I began.

"And…?" he urged.

"It also involves our wedding."

"Go on…" he said. 

"And college."

"Bella!" he groaned.

"What?"

"Spit it out!" he begged.

I closed my eyes. "I need to know where!"

"Alaska, right?" he asked me.

"No, this time, you decide where you want to go. You pick, and I'll follow. This is about compromise, and all you do is give me my way. It's really sweet and _really_ annoying!" I finally blurted.

"All I want is for you to be happy. I could care less where we go, as long as we're together," he explained, taking my hand. I snuggled into him again, wanting to memorize the shape of his body and the safe feel of his arms around me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Edward shushed me.

"Sleep now, Bella. Talk to me in the morning," he murmured.

I obeyed silently. When I woke up, he was still underneath me, silently reading the second _Harry Potter_ book again.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I rolled off him and told him I was in desperate need of a shower, so he waited on my bed, never taking his beautiful eyes off of his book. I came back with my hair wet and I reached for my blowdryer. Edward intercepted it and asked me why women use these so much.

I laughed. "I don't know, ask women!"

He handed it to me. When I turned it on, he watched it carefully. I turned it on him for a few seconds, blowing his hair in all different directions.

He glared at me, ran his fingers through it quickly and returned it back to normal. He stuck his tongue out at me and I threatened to do it again, so Edward resorted to playing dirty. He unplugged it.

"You did not just unplug my blowdryer," I said.

"It looks like I did," he said smugly. I pounced onto the floor, but of course he beat me to it, holding me just mere inches away from the plug. 

"Looks like your hair's going to have to air-dry!" he laughed.

"You're evil," I spat.

"And you're all wet," he retaliated. I freed one of my arms and ruffled his hair quickly. He looked at me angrily and fixed it again. This game continued for a little while, but I let it go when he surrendered.

I heard a knocking at the door, but I ignored because I figured Charlie would get it. The knocking was incessant, and nobody was answering the door. I stormed down the stairs, Edward close in tow purely due to curiosity. I opened the door, and there was Jacob and some girl I interpreted was Heather.

"Hi," I said, smiling at the duo.

Jacob was smiling so wide it seemed painful. "Can we come in?"

I shrugged, and opened the door wider. They stepped past me and sat next to each other on the couch. I sat down on the chair across from them, and Edward stalked over and sat on the edge of my chair. Jacob's eyes just narrowed at the sight of Edward.

Jacob and Heather were both at the edges of their seats, as if they had some big news. I wanted to tell them to spit it out, but they looked completely enthralled, so I humored them.

"Heather and I have been talking, and since we're so serious in our relationship, we've got some good news!" Jacob explained.

There was an awkward pause. Edward and I exchanged confused glances, and then Edward impatiently demanded, "And the news is…?"

"Quiet, leech!" Jacob snapped.

I watched Edward's fists clench angrily and his jaw tensed. I covered his hand with mine, and he relaxed slowly. We waited for Jacob to tell his story. After a prolonged silence, both Heather and Jacob exclaimed in exact unison:

"We're getting married!" 

Edward and I were also in unison. Our jaws both dropped at the same time. Edward recovered quickly, though. I figured he honestly didn't care, seeing as him and Jacob Black were mortal enemies.

"B-but Jake, you're only sixteen!" I stammered.

He shrugged. "And you're only eighteen."

Edward seemed uninterested, but then he turned towards Heather and said, "Heather Black. You realize if you married someone with Gray for a last name, your name would be Heather Gray?"

I burst into a fit of giggles at Edward's joke. He normally didn't crack jokes, atleast not intentionally. Usually he would only use sarcasm to crack up. 

Heather either didn't get it, or she was deaf, because her expression didn't change. Jacob was angry, though.

"Who asked you, parasite?" he snarled.

Edward looked at me and then back at Jacob. "Very original, mutt."

Jacob ignored Edward's last slur and faced me. "The date is set for August 13." 

_Shoot me._

"I'd really love you to come. Heather asked if you would be her bridesmaid," Jacob said, smiling. _Strange._ Why would Heather ask me to be her bridesmaid when she doesn't even know me?

"Jacob, I'm sorry, I can't," I said softly.

"Why?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

I shook my head, so Edward answered for me, "Because that's also _our_ wedding day."

"What?" Jacob demanded.

"I'm really sorry, Jake."

"Atleast come for a little while. Just for the ceremony!" he begged.

"I can't. It's my own wedding. If it was anybody else's, you know I would," I explained. Jacob looked hurt that I was refusing. Edward took my hand and squeezed it. I looked up into his ocher eyes. They were apologetic.

"Don't try to tell me you're sorry, Bella! I know you're not!" Jake said acidly. I took my gaze away from Edward and turned to face a fuming Jacob. 

"Jacob!" I tried to say, but he stopped me.

"Don't start, Bella! I'm always getting the short end of the stick! Just forget I even said anything!" he growled. I was so enraged. How was he acting like this was my fault?

I wanted to strange him. "You are one of the most _infuriating _people I have ever met in my entire life! Heather, I pity you, because you are about to marry someone who is going to give you a constant migraine!" I turned back on Jacob. "It's not like I planned this to happen! And I was planning on giving you an invitation, but now you can forget that!" I exploded. Edward grabbed my arm and shushed me. 

I have to admit, the coolness of his skin really calmed me down.

Jacob left, Heather close behind, and I groaned.

"Calm down, love," Edward said softly.

"He's acting like such a…a…"

"An ass?" Edward suggested.

"You hit the nail on the head," I muttered. Edward just smiled and his lip twitched, like he wanted to laugh but held it in because he knew I would bring it up.

"What's so funny?" I asked curiously, still annoyed. Edward rubbed my temples gently, enjoying my relaxed expression.

"'Constant Migraine'?" he said quietly.

"Don't start," I grumbled.

"Am I giving you a migraine?" he asked, sitting next to me.

"Possibly," I muttered. Edward just laughed. Have I ever mentioned how much I love his laugh?

**Hola, it's me again! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for staying loyal and reading!**


	12. Unexpected Plans

Chapter 12: Unexpected Plans

"Bella," Edward whispered into my ear to wake me up. I could hear him, but I wasn't ready to wake up yet, so I ignored him.

"Bella," he said a little louder into my ear. I stayed still.

"Bella!" Edward said, shaking me a little. I groaned a little without opening my mouth and shifted my position a little. "Wake up, Bella!" he coaxed. His cool breath was tingling my ear, and I blindly groped around, feeling his chest accidenly, before I pushed his face away. I rolled away from him, facing the wall instead of his sweet-smelling chest.

He just laughed. "Bella, I have a surprise for you,"

I ignored him again. He hugged me from behind, kissing my neck so lightly it felt like an ice cube just barely meeting my skin. I shivered, and goosebumps covered my entire body. Edward chuckled at my reaction. It took me a second to reaize that he had disappeared from behind me and was facing me again.

He kissed me deeply and passionately, which of course got me up in a second. I kissed him back for a while, then broke away and turned away from him and tried to sleep again.

"I haven't kissed you like that in a while," he pointed out, playing with my hair in his fingers. I finally sat up, admitting I was fully awake now, and I faced him. His golden eyes were amused.

"What's the surprise?" I demanded, rubbing my eyes.

He grabbed my arms, pulling them away from my face. Then he tackled me against the pillow, kissing me hard and not letting go of my right hand. When he was done kissing me, he got up and laughed some more. I decided it would be best not to ask when he returned with a feminine napkin in his hand.

"Go to the bathroom, Bella," he ordered me.

"What the-" I began to ask when I snatched it away from him. I stormed into the bathroom and screamed. There was blood all over my pajama pants. Like, _everywhere._ I opened the door, feeling my cheeks burning like crazy, and dug in my dresser for some new clothes. 

Edward didn't laugh anymore, he just said, "Are you angry with me?"

"I would ask you how you know, but it looks like I was bleeding to death!" I shouted.

"If you're not careful, you'll wake Charlie," Edward warned.

"You don't think it's even the least bit gross?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Not really. It's not your fault."

I pointed towards the bed. "How long have you known?"

"I tried to wake you up around midnight, but you were sleeping like a rock," he explained. "I'm sorry you're embarassed."

"Just pretend it never happened while I take a shower," I muttered, slamming the door behind me. I was cursing quietly under my breath for not keeping track of it like I should have been. I had just taken off my clothes and was about to step into the shower when Edward knocked on the door. 

"Bella, I'm going to go home to change for a few minutes. Do you need anything?"

I wrapped a towel around myself and opened the door. He looked away as soon as he saw what I was wearing, but I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him. When I stopped kissing him, he blinked a few times, still a little shocked, and then licked his lips.

"That's all I needed," I whispered, and then I went back into the bathroom and showered. As soon as I was done, Edward had returned with Alice. She gave me a quick hug, then explained to me all about our upcoming shopping expedition.

"Alice, do I have to?" I asked quietly.

She just nodded. "It's for the wedding."

I rolled my eyes, but got dressed quickly. Edward was already gone by the time I was done, which was weird.

"Where did Edward go?" I asked, a little upset that I hadn't gotten to say goodbye to him. 

"I don't know. He was a little embarassed when I saw him, though."

"Why?" I asked curiously. Edward's never embarassed.

She laughed. "He was mumbling something about blood."

I groaned. "Alice, this may sound really gross, but I got my period last night and it was all over the bed. I'm talking _everywhere._ I didn't even see it, and Edward got a pad for me."

Alice burst out laughing. "So that's why he was covered in blood!"

My eyes widened in horror. "He was covered in blood?!"

"Yes, Bella. He was covered in it," she said between giggles.

"Why didn't he try to drink it or anything then?" I demanded.

"That type of blood isn't very appealing," she explained. I rolled my eyes. I never knew vampires were so picky.

"So where are we going today, Alice?" I asked her as we piled into my Audi.

"Shoe shopping!" she said excitedly. I groaned, but surrendered quietly and followed her around Port Angeles until she selected the perfect white heels with some lace accents around them that matched the vintage lace from my wedding gown. At the register, Alice covered my ears when the saleslady said the price. I would have cringed, but Alice told me that what Edward wouldn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Slight problem with that: Edward could read minds!

We arrived at the Cullen's house around three, and I greeted Edward with a quick kiss. When it came to Alice, though, he just snarled at her.

"What?" she demanded.

"Really, Alice! A thousand dollars for a pair of heels?" he demanded.

My jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, Edward, I honestly didn't know! She covered my ears!" Edward ignored me and kept glaring at Alice, who was mimicking his angry face perfectly.

"So let's see them, then," Edward said when the glowering contest was over.

"Sorry, no can do," I said to him. 

"Why?" he demanded. I felt his cool breath on my face. I smiled and looked into his butterscotch eyes, which were growing darker by the second.

"You have to wait until the wedding," I winked at him when I said this, but he didn't find any humor in it. If only he knew how annoying it was to me when he repeated that so frequently.

Alice and I spent the rest of the afternoon in her room. She painted my toenails and then did her own. I noted that hers were a deep reddish color, almost blood red. 

"So, Bella, I've been having some more visions of you and Edward that are giving me nightmares. Can you guess what I'm seeing?" she asked coolly. I couldn't see myself, but I could feel that all the existing color (which wasn't much, might I add) from my face drained away and my cheeks flushed.

Alice giggled. "I was expecting that reaction out of you. Don't worry, I've seen worse with Rosalie and Emmett." Just then, Alice shuddered. 

"I'm nervous," I admitted.

"About what?" she asked. Her eyes sparked with curiosity.

I shrugged. "Our wedding, our honeymoon, everything!"

Alice opened her mouth, no doubt to suggest her previous vision about our wedding, but I stopped her. "Alice, I'm not going to cheat on Edward. Trust me! Besides, if you saw me and Edward...you know...then that means everything's going to be fine, right?" I asked hopefully.

She nodded. "You and Edward will have fun on your honeymoon. And I know he'll be with you the whole time during the transformation."

My face paled even more. "I forgot about that. How am I going to have fun on our honeymoon while I'm writhing in agony?" 

"Don't worry about it," she said, closing the discussion.

I walked down the hall to Edward's room and interrupted him playing the piano. He was playing a new song, a foreign song, and he stopped immediately as he realized I was in the room.

"Uh, hi," I said nervously, a little shocked by his reaction.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," he muttered.

I was a little curious now. "What were you just playing?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly. Edward was never as nervous as he was now. He was seriously sweating bullets, too. I don't recall ever seeing him sweat either. It was so human.

"Edward, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said acidly, a little annoyed by my twenty questions.

"Okay, then. Do you want to do something?" I sat next to him on his bed. He immediately got up and walked to the door. Something was up with him, and I wanted to know what.

"Actually, Bella, I have an essay due tomorrow and I have to work on it," he said hurriedly. 

"Edward?" I asked. He wouldn't look me directly in the eyes.

"Hmm?" he said.

"It's summer," I pointed out. He just glanced up at me as if he was saying, "So?" and I took that as a "no" to hanging out. "Fine, if you didn't want to spend time with me, you could have just said so!" I yelled.

And then I left, ignoring Alice as she tried to stop me from storming down the hall, down the stairs, out the door, and into my car. Somehow there was a note from Edward attached to my dashboard.

It read:

I'm sorry, Bella. I have a lot on my mind right now. Leave the window closed if you're mad at me. I hope you aren't. I'll understand if you don't want me there.

Edward

I rolled my eyes. How does he _do_ that?

When I pulled into my house, there was another car in the driveway. I was shocked, seeing as the only people who ever came over were the Blacks. I cautiously turned the key to the house and went inside, only to be grabbed up in a vice-tight bear hug. It could only be one person.

I looked up and saw Jacob smiling at me.

"Jacob...can't--"

"Breathe, I know," he laughed, setting me down. I nervously chuckled, then tried to tell if one of my ribs had just cracked.

"So what's up?" I asked him.

"Just missed you," he replied, grinning at me.

"Where's Heather?" I asked subconciously, not really caring one way or another if he answered. His expression suddenly became darker.

"I don't want to talk about her," Jacob said darkly.

I dropped the subject, pronto. Obviously, there was a fight involved. I was prepared to exchange awkward banter when he exploded, explaining every single detail as to why he and his fiance weren't speaking to eachother.

"She wanted _everything _for the wedding! She was insisting that we do it in the Church, and there should be doves, and at the reception all the waiters had to wear white gloves. I wanted to tear my hair out, so I just left!" he said angrily. 

"Speaking of your hair, it's shorter every time I see you," I changed the subject quickly, not wanting him to change into a hairy werewolf in my living room. I took a piece of his straight black hair, hanging loose now, and twirled it around my finger.

"_Heather_ likes it short," he muttered, almost spitting his fiance's name.

"Calm down, Jacob, it's just an argument," I told him, patting him on the back. He turned on me.

"Do you and your leech--" 

I glared at him.

"_Fiance,"_ he corrected himself, "fight like this?"

I nodded. "We're in one right now," I mumbled under my breath. Jacob didn't hear me, though. I remembered what Edward said about my window suddenly, and I raced upstairs. 

When I reached my window and opened it wide, I noticed a piece of paper stuck on the windowsill. I pulled it off and read it silently. Once I was done, I started crying, shut the window, and returned to Jake downstairs.

"What's wrong, Bella?" he said, his husky voice sounding sympathetic. He rubbed my back as I sit next to him.

"It's Edward," I whispered. "He says the Volturi are going to kill us both if he doesn't change me tonight."

**Okay...Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I've had MAJOR writer's block and I needed some distractions. But Happy Easter everyone, and I hope you enjoyed that.**


	13. When in Rome

Chapter 13: When in Rome

Jacob didn't ask questions. He simply drove me to the Cullen's house, since I was blinded by tears. Edward was waiting for me at the front door. He scooped me up in a hug, obviously ignoring Jacob's smell, and whispered his apology in my ear.

Jacob drove away, waving through the passenger window.

Edward grabbed my hand and took me inside, where the rest of the Cullens were waiting. Esme hugged me gently when I sat down, and I hugged her tight. Edward wouldn't let go of my hand, either.

"How long have you known?" I asked Edward.

"All day," he said quietly.

I looked at the seven vampires around me. "Are they coming _here_?"

"No, we're going to Italy," Edward answered solemnly.

I looked him in the eyes. He looked thirsty, and there were circles under his eyes that I hadn't noticed earlier today. "Why didn't you tell me earlier, Edward?"

"Because I was scared, allright?" he growled.

His reaction startled me. "Scared of what?"

"Scared of changing you, okay?" he snapped.

"Why?" I asked, feeling annoyed now. What was he getting at?

"I don't know, maybe I was scared of hurting somebody I love!" he snarled in my face. Everyone else was calm except Edward, who was getting unnecessarily mad at me when I hadn't done anything.

I just let the tears spill out silently. Edward just disappeared upstairs. I looked up at Alice first, who was just looking at me with sympathetic eyes. The crowd of Cullens dispersed and I followed Alice and Rosalie into Alice's room.

Silently, Alice began to pack a suitcase, making sure to stuff in the bag containing my wedding gown, my shoes, and my veil. I noticed it was already almost completely full.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Packing your bag for you, you're going to Italy," she explained with a smile. I looked at her like she was insane for thinking this trip would be anything close to fun.

"Yeah, but why did you just put my wedding stuff in there?" I demanded. I threw a frantic glance at Rosalie, who was serene as could be. 

"Silly Bella," Alice laughed, "Do you really think Edward will transform you if you're not married yet? It's set, the wedding is going to be held in Italy." And with that, Alice zipped up the suitcase and stood it easily on the floor. 

"The plane leaves at..." Alice glanced at the clock, "right now."

My eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, wait, I forgot about daylight savings time. The plane leaves in one hour!" She said cheerfully. I exhaled in relief, and Rosalie laughed at me.

"Relax, Bella, everything will be okay," Rosalie walked out the door.

I turned on Alice. "How long have you known?"

Alice immediately turned her gaze down at the ground. "A few days. I'm the one that told Edward yesterday, because I saw the Volturi's decisions before they told Edward. I was hinting at it yesterday, but I think you thought I meant something else."

"Well, what are we going to do? None of my family will be there!" I cried.

"Bella, please calm down!" Alice waited until I was done hyperventilating to continue. "We will still have the official ceremony on August 13. Now it's just like the Vegas wedding, and you will have the real wedding here, once you're already bitten."

"Alice, I'm so scared!" I whined.

"Don't be. We'll all be with you," she promised.

The plane ride was boring. Edward still wasn't speaking to me, which was really putting a hole in the marriage plan. I could barely stop my teeth from chattering and my body from shaking.

Once everyone had boarded the plane, Edward almost gagged.

"What?" I demanded.

"Werewolves," he said, refusing the urge to spit.

I looked around. "Where?"

"Over there," Edward grumbled, pointing to a row of three seats on the left side of the plane, which was holding Quil, Embry, and Jacob. All three waved in unison when they were aware I was looking.

"Oh my god," I said.

"Why are they here?" Edward asked me angrily. "Did you invite them?"

I turned on Edward, hitting him in the face with my ponytail. "Yes, I did, because obviously I _wanted_ a bunch of werewolves to follow me into a city that is inhabited by a group of immensely powerful vampires," I snarled.

He glowered at me, and then turned to look out the window at the stars.

"I'm sorry," he said finally after a long, awkward silence.

"Don't," I muttered, shoving the earbuds on my CD player into my ears.

He looked at me, his eyes pained. "Please, Bella."

I turned away from his gorgeous angel face and tried to fall asleep. I woke up when we stopped at New York and wiped my eyes. Edward was facing the window now, and his body was like a statue.

"Edward," I whimpered. My voice broke, which made it almost inaudible. I knew Edward would hear it, though. He turned around slowly, and then wrapped his cold, hard arms around me. 

It was right now that I felt like Edward and I were a jigsaw puzzle. We fit into each other perfectly. Without one of us, we were incomplete and basically useless. I felt Edward's face in my hair and he whispered, "I love you, Bella."

I smiled. "I love you too, Edward."

And I fell asleep in his arms in what could have been one of my last nights as a human.

When I woke up for the second time on this plane, it was to Edward whispering in my ear like this earlier that day. "Bella?"

I opened my eyes immediately and frantically demanded, "What? Am I bleeding on myself again?!"

The remaining passengers in the plane all turned to stare at me. Edward just chuckled and said, "No, but you definetely got some attention now." My face turned beet red before I stood up and ducked out of the plane, making sure I held on to Edward's hand the whole time.

I wasn't going to lose him no matter what.

We all grabbed our suitcases at Baggage Claim, and Edward was sticking to me like glue. When we got to the hotel, he put my stuff in the bathroom and told me to get changed. He started taking his shirt off in front of me, and I couldn't stop myself from staring.

He just laughed, and then turned me around in the direction of the bathroom. He gave me a gentle push and closed the door behind me. I frantically got all my clothing off and started to climb into the dress when I realized I needed some help zipping it up.

"Um, Edward?" I called nervously.

"Yes?" he said.

"Get Alice for me, please!" I begged.

"She's busy right now. What do you need?" I could hear his voice was closer to the door now. I was close to hyperventilating when I heard his velvet voice in the door. 

"Someone to zip up my dress," I admitted, trying once again to zip up the back but realizing it was futile. 

"Hold on," he murmured. I heard the door slam and a minute later he returned with Esme. She knocked gently on the door before I opened it wide, yanked her inside, and slammed it.

"Oh, honey, you look gorgeous!" she exclaimed, hugging me. I pointed frantically to my zipper and she nodded, simply tugging it up.

"Esme, what was your first wedding like?" I asked. "Your human wedding."

Esme smiled sadly and said, "I wasn't married when I was human."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

She smiled happily now. "My wedding with Carlisle was the best day of my...existence."

Esme stayed and helped me as I primped and put my veil on, while Emmett and Jasper helped Edward. Emmett had been through this a few times before, so he was telling Edward to relax. (Esme was telling me everything she heard) Suddenly the door flew open and Alice threw two large handfuls of toiletries and hair appliances onto the counter.

She began to curl my hair and Esme applied some makeup while I sat and tried to remember how to breathe.

"Bella?" Edward called as he knocked on the door.

_"If you come in here and see her right now, Edward Cullen, I will MURDER you!"_ Alice threatened angrily. Esme rolled her eyes and Edward laughed.

"Sorry, Alice, I'm already dead!" Edward joked.

"Let me rephrase, I'll _rip you to shreds_ and _burn the pieces_!" Alice growled.

All three of the guys laughed, Emmett being the loudest of course. I turned to Esme and Alice and asked them where Rosalie was.

"Rosalie is...unwilling to be a part of this," Esme explained.

"B-but she wanted to be a bridesmaid," I stammered, just now realizing how cold it was.

Alice nodded. "She'll be there for the August ceremony. She just doesn't want to be there when Edward changes you."

I shuddered.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Esme said, rubbing my back. Her touch was icy, and yet her intent was warm. 

"Yes I do," I muttered. "Because if I don't we'll both be killed."

Esme shook her head. "They won't act immediately. It will take a few months."

I was suddenly fuming. "Why didn't anybody tell me this before?"

"You didn't ask!" Alice said cheerily. 

I bolted out the door, towards Edward, whom I hugged around the neck quickly before he could think and/or realize I was in my wedding gown, which he wasn't allowed to see yet.

"What's this all about?" he whispered.

"We don't have to do this yet!" I hissed.

"What?" Edward demanded, a little louder now.

"Esme says they will wait a few months if they're going to kill us. We don't have to rush this yet!" I exclaimed. Edward smiled and hugged me tighter.

"Do you still want to marry me here?" he asked in my hair.

"When in Rome!" I squealed.

He rolled his eyes. "Bella?"

"Hmm?" I asked, still inhaling his wonderful scent.

"We're in Volterra," he said, laughing.

I broke away from him. "Thanks for reminding me," I muttered.


	14. Here Comes the Bride

Chapter 14: Here Comes the Bride

_"Edward!"_ Alice screamed from the depths of the bathroom.

"Crap," I muttered, remembering the tradition that the groom isn't allowed to see the bride until the actual wedding. Edward was laughing as Alice stormed out of the bathroom, looking like...well, a vampire.

"Alice, calm down," Jasper cooed. Suddenly Alice's expression changed from satanic to serene. She still managed to glare at Jasper.

"Stop that," she snapped.

Jasper held his hands up in surrender.

"So what's going to happen now?" Alice demanded. Esme put her hand on Alice's shoulder to calm her down, but Alice just crossed her arms and huffed.

I held up my hand, which was intertwined with Edward's and announced, "We're going to go through with the wedding!"

Esme smiled brightly, and suddenly Alice was a bucket of sunshine again. She, of course, pried my hand off of Edward's and dragged me back into the bathroom for more primping. 

"Don't kill my soon-to-be wife, Alice!" Edward called, chuckling.

"What's it to you?" Alice shouted back.

I laughed a little nervously, afraid that she would yank a chunk of my hair off when wrapping it around her curling iron during her anti-Edward rant. "Alice, it's okay. It's my fault."

She shrugged. "I know, I just love messing with him."

"I heard that!" Edward said in a sing-song voice. Of course, his voice always had a musical touch to it. Not enough to be singing, but still a touch of rhythm to it. I sighed.

"What are you thinking about?" Alice asked me, grinning.

"My beautiful husband," I murmured, looking at my ring.

Alice feigned gagging. "Please don't talk about my brother that way."

I rolled my eyes and watched as she wrapped more of my hair around a curling iron. Esme slipped back into the bathroom with a beautiful diamond necklace in her hands. It was a three-tiered heart chain. The first heart was small, the one underneath it was medium sized, and the last was largest. Each heart was made up of diamonds.

I gasped as Esme opened the clasp and put it around my neck. She smiled at my shocked, yet undeniably grateful reflection in the mirror. "Esme," I choked out. "It's gorgeous!"

"It was my mother's. She told me that each heart represented three people. Your mother, your father, and your husband. It's white gold," she explained.

I hugged Esme as tight as I possibly could. She probably didn't even feel much of the force intended, but I didn't care. Esme was like a second mother to me, the mom I saw more often. And now she was going to be my mother-in-law.

"Bella, we're going to be at the chapel getting ready! Don't be late, it starts at eight!" he yelled. I heard the door slam, and millions of thoughts were buzzing through my mind. _This is it. I'm getting married to the man I love. _

"Edward's going to be a great husband," Esme promised.

When Alice confirmed that I was wedding-ready, I squealed, hugged her tight, and then we got into our rental car to go to the chapel. The place of my _wedding_! We pulled in and all three of us got out. Apparently, Rosalie wasn't coming. It was either that, or she crashed the wedding at the last minute.

As we walked in through the huge chapel doors, Carlisle passed us each a bouquet. It was in the lobby when I spotted Rosalie, in a dress identical to Alice's. She smiled.

"What happened? I thought you weren't coming," I asked, my mood radiant now that all my vampire buddies were present.

She shrugged. "Edward told me he wasn't changing you tonight. So I wanted to be there for you." I hugged Rosalie for the very first time and we lined up. Carlisle poked his head through, being extra careful not to show any of us behind the door, and got in place. The organ player started playing, and Rosalie walked in first, smiling towards Emmett.

Alice was next, my maid of honor. She grinned at Jasper, who was secretly using his abilities to calm me down. Now it was my turn. Normally I would have started hyperventilating as I walked down the aisle. I glanced at Jasper, who was just looking at me innocently.

I was actually halfway there, not tripping or breaking anything in the process. Whoops, spoke too soon. Esme let the trailing part of my dress down for one second, and somehow my heel got stuck, cracked, and I went falling down like a London Bridge. The music came to an abrupt halt as Esme helped me up.

I saw all the men besides Carlisle burst into laughter, Emmett basically shaking the church. I stood up, turning completely red as I watched all seven vampires plus the organ player and the minister stare at me. I exhaled and began hobbling over with one heel, one flat, one heel, one flat. Edward's lip was twitching as I came closer. Obviously me hobbling up the aisle was one for the books.

I wanted to stop, rewind, and do that whole thing again. Luckily I had a chance to redeem myself on August 13th. When I reached Edward, he was just smiling at me, his eyes closer to butterscotch than I had ever seen. He had gone against my orders and wore a cerulean tie just to spite me, but it worked for him. Everything worked for him. 

"Do you, Edward Cullen, take this woman, Isabella Swan, to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," he said. His voice was perfect when he said those two words that made the difference between a fiance and a husband. 

"And do you, Isabella Swan, take this man, Edward Cullen, to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, as long as you both shall live?"

_Well I won't be living much longer._ I pushed that sarcastic thought out of my mind and concentrated.

"I do!" I said hurriedly, grinning like a lovesick fool at Edward.

"Where are the rings?" the minister said. Faster than I could blink, Jasper had the rings in the minister's hand. He gave a ring to Edward.

"Edward, place this ring on the third finger on Isabella's left hand and say 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

Edward obeyed and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Isabella," the minister handed the ring to me and said, "Take this ring, and place it on the third finger of Edward's left hand and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

I slid the ring on Edward's cold finger and smiled up at him, looking up at him through my heavily mascara-coated eyelashes. He was grinning at me with his beautiful liquid topaz eyes.

"With the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. Edward, you may now bite the bride!" the priest announced. Wait--did he just say _bite_ the bride? Oh my god, change your mind, say "kiss the bride!" Please!

"What did you just say?" I choked out. I looked frantically at Edward. He was smiling again, but it was a different smile. An evil smile, the one of a vampire. Suddenly he hissed at me, and then was latched on to me so tight that I could barely breathe. I felt his cold lips on my neck, and then the shooting pain. And that's when I screamed.

A bloodcurdling scream that woke everyone on the plane.

**Haha, betcha I got you on that one! It was all a dream she had on the plane. Review if I fooled you. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	15. Midnight Swim

Chapter 15: Midnight Swim

Edward's book went flying when I screamed. Nearly everyone had a reaction to my bloody-murder shriek. I aroused the sleepers, spilled scalding hot coffee on the laps of stressed businessmen, gave heart attacks to passers-by, made the children cry, and maybe even woke the dead.

"Jesus Christ, Bella!" Edward shouted at me while he stood up and got his book from a few rows in front of us.

I groaned and turned to look at Quil, Embry, and Jacob, but they weren't there anymore. I was shocked, and I felt like I was going insane. When Edward came back, he wasn't alone. The flight attendant came over to me and asked, "Honey, are you all right? You screamed pretty loud there and scared some of the passengers."

I blinked a few times. "I'm so sorry, it was just a nightmare!"

She nodded, than turned her gaze at an angry, but still incredibly gorgeous Edward. "In that case, can I get you two anything?" she asked sweetly, talking to Edward in particular.

Edward shook his head and kept reading, while I asked for a glass of water.

"Bella, what happened? What was in your dream?" he asked me quietly. There was an edge to his voice, like he was angry with me or something as if it was my fault I was having a nightmare.

"Nothing," I lied. My lie was completely obvious.

He rolled his eyes. "Bella, you're the absolute worst liar I've ever--thank you," he said, taking the glass of water for me from the attendant, "You are the absolute worst liar I've ever met, and you expect me to believe that scream was for nothing?!" he demanded.

"Just forget it, Edward!" I muttered.

"At first you were so peaceful, only saying a few things out loud like my name or you would just laugh or something, but towards the end you were breathing heavily and then you were saying 'please' and 'don't bite me' before you screamed. Bella, what did you dream?" he asked me. His last sentence was much softer this time, his eyes looking gentle and apologetic.

As I started into his golden eyes, I burst into tears and buried myself in him. "It was so great at first, Edward! We were getting prepared to get married! The plane ride was weird, though, and I saw Quil, Embry, and Jacob and they waved from over there," I pointed to the now-vacant seats. "And then we arrived and we went to a hotel and we were getting dressed for our wedding. And Esme gave me this gorgeous necklace with three hearts on it. And I was so nervous, Edward! You had to marry me fast and then you had to change me, and then Esme told me that we didn't have to yet and I ran out and hugged you in my dress and Alice was so mad but it was worth it because we went to the chapel and you were waiting for me. And after everyone else was in I was heading down the aisle and then I tripped and broke my heel but I still made it over to you and we said our vows and it was perfect, Edward! And the rings were so beautiful and then he said 'bite the bride' instead of kiss the bride and I thought I misunderstood and then I looked at you and you...you hissed at me and then you jumped on me and bit me," I finished. It had all spilled out so fast I was scared that he hadn't understood. But the look on his face showed me he understood, and what I had told him was painful to hear.

"And that's why you screamed," he said, his voice low and pained. It wasn't a question.

"I'm sorry," I blubbered.

"I don't blame you for being scared," he murmured. I nodded feebly and he took me in a tight hug.

"H-how long was I asleep?" I asked quietly. My voice was muffled by his chest, but I didn't care.

"You fell asleep a few minutes after we got on the plane," he whispered.

Suddenly I turned around again to check the three seats that were occupied by Quil, Embry, and Jacob. They were still empty. I sighed.

"Bella, it was just a dream, they were never really there," Edward said to me. He gripped my hand tightly and smiled at me. I smiled back, a weak, melancholy smile, but it satisfied him. He went back to his book and I turned the volume on my CD player up.

When we actually did land in Volterra, I silently grabbed my suitcase from baggage claim. Edward was right by my side, carrying his suitcase as if it were completely empty. We checked into a hotel room similar to the one in my dream. When Edward started taking his sweater off, I was getting anxious. This was my dream all over again.

I just collapsed onto the bed, moaning out loud in pleasure of how soft it was. Edward joined me silently. All I felt was cold, hard arms wrapping around me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fall asleep.

I sat up in bed and looked at Edward. He looked so concerned about me.

"Bella, please relax," he coaxed. His voice was gentle and warm, and his touch made my heart beat ten times faster than the healthy pace. He smiled at me.

"I'm scared, Edward," I finally admitted.

"You have every right to be scared," he said to me, sounding happy that he had finally proven me wrong. "And that's exactly why I'm not changing you tonight."

My eyes widened in sheer horror. "Edward! You have to, they'll kill us!"

"Bella, I'm not going to forcibly make you a vampire unless you're positive you want to!" he insisted. "I wasn't planning on doing it until we got married, anyways."

"B-but I thought we were getting married in Italy," I said, confusion mixed in with every word I said.

"Only if you want to, Bella," he murmured. His face was so close to mine now that all I smelled was his breath. It was coming out in little puffs, smelling so sweet in my face. I nodded, to show him that I did want to marry him, I did love him more than anything in this world, and that I wanted to be with him forever. I just couldn't find the words.

"It doesn't have to be a black-tie event, Bella," he whispered. "Carlisle can do it right here in our room for us, and that will be it."

My eyes welled up with tears and I couldn't stop myself from kissing him full on the lips. I kissed him hard, mashing my mouth into his. His lips were hungry for more. His tongue caressed mine in a certain dance that only he could perform with me, and his hands were suddenly everywhere. I was on top of him, gripping his collar and kissing him hungrily, greedily. My legs were open on top of his stomach. His fingers were in my hair, and he wouldn't stop kissing me to let me breathe. I didn't feel the need to breathe. If my life was going to end in a few hours anyways, I might as well end it doing something that made me feel dangerous.

I was so ready for more than this. Edward kept kissing me hard, like he only had a few more hours to do this to me and it was now or never. I was unbuttoning his shirt while I continued kissing him; for once he didn't seem to mind. As soon as all the buttons were undone, he pulled the shirt off. I was still pressed up against his torso. His icy skin was so hard and white. Suddenly he rolled on top of me, not even pausing or breaking the needy kiss. I barely felt his weight on me at all. One of his hands was on my hip, just sitting there as if it was frozen in place. The other was stroking my cheek so softly it was like a chill from the air conditioner.

He had let me go so far, I was afraid I was going to go into shock. Goosebumps were all over my skin. The hand that had been frozen on my hip was now on my arm, slowly moving over the skin on my arm. He suddenly smiled during the kiss, I could feel it, and then he pulled away. I didn't have time to be angry when he broke the kiss; I could hardly breathe, I was still dazed by that kiss.

"Bella," he whispered. I could barely hear it. It seemed like the wind had blown his voice away.

"Yes?" It came out as a strangled whisper.

"Get Carlisle in here now." It wasn't an order, more like a warning. We had gotten carried away. Edward picked me up and placed me next to him. He unzipped his suitcase and retrieved a marroon shirt.

He buttoned it on right in front of me and asked me, "Do I look ready for my wedding?"

I just nodded. My lips were still tingling and my mouth was still hanging open in awe of what I'd just experienced. Edward loped over to me.

"Oh, Bella?" he asked in a voice that could have melted me.

I just let out a little squeak to let him know I was still alive. He chuckled and placed his finger under my chin. Very gently, he lifted my lower jaw up to meet the rest of my mouth. I crawled off the bed over to my suitcase where I retrieved a navy blue v-neck shirt with an empire waist and lace trimming. I chose blue because I knew Edward loved that color on me.

I went into the bathroom and changed quickly. I was about to pass out, so I turned the faucet on and ran the cold water. I jammed my wrists underneath the stream of icy water, and instantly I felt relaxed. _What happened out there? I couldn't stop, but it's always Edward who stops me! He usually never even lets me undo one flippin' button on his shirt, and he let me take it off! _I realized that I had been running the sink for a few minutes now, and my hands were submerged in water.

I turned the faucet off, dried my hands, and came out of the bathroom. All of the Cullens were standing in our hotel room right now, and Alice was especially impatient.

"Today, Bella!" she hissed at me.

I hurried to Edward's side.

"Carlisle?" I asked, my voice shaky. He nodded, and began.

"Isabella Swan, do you take Edward Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband--"

"Husband?" came a booming voice from nowhere. I saw nobody, but I instantly knew whose voice it was. Aro. I immediately started shaking. I knew what was coming.

"What's this I hear about a husband?" Marcus's voice came next, and suddenly the Volturi appeared in our hotel room.

I clung to Edward, shaking harder this time. I wanted to bury myself in him, but they would find me. Edward put his arms around me protectively.

Aro burst into laughter at the sight of us. "Aw, you're getting married?"

Edward nodded. I glanced at Carlisle, who somehow had the power to remain calm all the time, even without Jasper's help. I loosened my tight grip on Edward's frame, but he didn't relax.

"Well, I'm sorry we're interrupting, but it's come to my attention that Bella remains human," Aro pointed out. I shuddered at the way Aro said my name. It sounded like a psychopath's voice. Edward gripped me tighter.

"The date is set for August 13th," Edward growled.

"You told me the date was set for after Bella's graduation," Aro pointed out. There were those shivers again.

"I'm not changing her until she asks me to. She wants to do it after our marriage," Edward insisted.

"Do it now, or I'll kill you," Aro said lightly. He killed so many people daily, the number was uncountable. Edward suddenly pulled me close to him and he whispered in my ear.

"Jump off the balcony."

I eyed him like he was insane, but the look in his eyes showed me he was dead serious.

"I'm going with you," he assured me, still talking so low I could barely hear him. He smiled an encouraging smile, but it didn't convince me. If I didn't do this fast enough, we would both be killed.

Suddenly Edward screamed, "Now!" and the other Cullens sprang to life. I bolted towards the balcony door and scrambled to open them. I stared out onto the Tyrrhenian Sea and gasped. I was terrified. We were six stories up in this hotel room, and the water would probably kill me.

Stunned, and almost halfway paralyzed, I stood up on the edge of the balcony. I was standing there, waiting, but too terrified to glance backwards when something slammed into me. Hard.

It was enough force to knock me off the balcony and I heard a sickening crack. It felt like a brick wall slamming into me or vice versa. But I knew it wasn't Edward who hit me.

"Bella!" he cried. And then I heard him leap off the balcony at full speed. I felt cold arms wrap around me tight and turn me around before the waves closed over me.

**Okay, that's enough for one night. That was three chapters. I hope you enjoyed that! :) Please please please review. **


	16. Apologies and Gratitude

Chapter 16: Apologies and Gratitude

"Bella!" Edward shouted. It felt like we were back on land, but every once in a while, a wave would wash up and soak me again. I wanted to give him some sign that I was conscious besides a heartbeat and irregular breathing. He thought I was dying. I was alive! 

If only he knew that it felt like every bone in my body had shattered.

"Edward," I whispered.

"Bella! Say something! Do anything!" he begged, squeezing my hand.

I squeezed his hand as hard as I could. Edward brought me close to him and kissed my forehead. Every inch of me ached inside, and the freezing water from the Tyrrhenian Sea didn't help much.

"Bella, I'm sorry. That was a stupid idea," he said.

I shook my head. "Who...who hit me?" I asked, my voice sounding feeble and almost nonexistent. 

"It was Emmett," Edward replied quietly.

"Why?" I demanded, suddenly sitting up, and ignoring the sharp shooting pain in my upper torso.

Edward gently placed me back down on his lap. "Aro was going to hit you. Emmett got hit instead."

"No!" I cried. Poor Emmett. He got hurt trying to protect me. Oh, great, another reason for Rosalie to hate me.

"He's fine," Edward said sternly, as if answering my thoughts.

I grabbed Edward in a hug. "Thank you for saving me."

"It's my fault you're hurt anyways," Edward growled.

"I'd rather be hurt than dead," I muttered. Edward glowered at me. I was right, wasn't I? Edward didn't say anything after that, he just held me in his arms and kissed the top of my head periodically. I got goosebumps when I heard Aro's booming laughter again. I clutched onto Edward.

"Look at this, our little runaways," Aro joked.

"I'm not changing her tonight, Aro," Edward snarled.

Aro shrugged. "Very well. I've had my fun for one night."

Suddenly Aro was gone, and reappeared in my face. I tried not to shiver, but his crimson eyes were enough to make me cringe. I still glared at him, though, and he startled laughing again.

"You're going to be a brilliant vampire," Aro said between laughs. "August 13th," he warned Edward. 

Edward snarled as a reply.

And then the Volturi was gone. Edward stood up with me in his arms. I felt like dead weight since I was barely moving. The sharp bursts of pain everytime I inhaled was enough to feel like somebody was stabbing me in the chest. Edward carried me back to the hotel room.

The other Cullens seemed to be okay, except Rosalie who kept shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Emmett seemed to be okay, and he looked concerned when he spotted me.

"Bella, are you allright?" Emmett demanded.

"I guess," I moaned.

He threw me a sympathetic smile while Edward softly laid me on the bed. Carlisle immediately sent Alice to fetch his bag while he checked on me. He pressed on each rib and made a mental note each time I cried out in pain. Edward was gripping my hand the whole time. He was kneeling beside the bed. I wanted to yank him on top of me and just kiss him.

"It seems like there is a cracked rib," Carlisle informed me, snapping me out of my fantasies. I groaned at the news, which hurt, and then I cringed. Okay, so maybe I said my entire body had shattered, but this hurt a lot nonetheless. 

"You should feel better in six weeks," Carlisle offered. He smiled and patted my shoulder before he left me and Edward with some privacy. The rest of the Cullens followed me out, and Alice threw me a sympathetic glance before she closed the door softly behind her.

"I'm sorry, Bella, and I love you," he murmured. I struggled to sit up and looked into his gorgeous eyes. I couldn't believe he was apologizing for this. As if I was blaming him; if anything I was blaming forself for being paralyzed up there instead of jumping off. It was ironically hilarious that I would jump off a hundred-foot cliff but not a six story balcony. 

"Edward, don't apologize. If it weren't for you, I probably would be dead," I smiled at him. A real, genuine smile. "So no wedding tonight?"

He chuckled. "No, I think it can wait."

"Yeah," I said, subconsciously tracing his hand. "Does Rosalie hate me now for what happened to Emmett?"

Edward shrugged. "You're lucky you don't hear her thoughts."

I laughed. "Not pretty, huh?"

He shook his head. Then he granted my wish and crawled into bed with me. Even when he wrapped his arms around me, he was so careful that he didn't hurt me at all. I sighed, ignoring the pain, and realized that even though I was dreaming, Edward and I really did fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered.

I shook my head.

"Oh, please, you're completely lost in thought," he chucked. "Tell me."

"Not now," I grumbled, enjoying his beautiful scent. Edward retreated his arms and sat up in bed, leaving me alone and desperate for more _Eau de Edward_. I tried to sit up and look annoyed, but I failed miserably.

"Oh, come on!" I cried, watching as he walked over to a chair and sat there. "You're not going to lie with me until I tell you what I'm thinking?"

He looked at me, smiling evilly, and nodded.

"This is torture," I grumbled. He laughed.

"Tell me, and I'll come back," he promised, leaning over and whispering in my ear. I wished I could have grabbed him and yanked him on top of me, but he was too fast. When I turned to look at him again, he was leaning against the wall. I exhaled sharply and spilled my guts.

"Okay, fine!" I said. Edward listened intently. "I was thinking that we...fit together. Like a jigsaw puzzle," I explained. Edward nodded as he walked over to me and plopped on the bed next to me. He wrapped his arms around me again.

"Better?" he asked, making my skin prickle. 

"Much," I said, turning slowly to kiss him on the cheek. My ribs were aching and I didn't want to move. The next morning was worse. It seriously felt like somebody had jammed a knife in the middle of my chest and kept jiggling it every three seconds. Edward tried to help me, but he couldn't breathe for me.

"I'm hungry," I said.

"Stay here," he ordered me while he walked out the door. He was gone a split three seconds before he returned with a snack size cereal box and some milk. 

"Bless you," I said, kissing his cheek. He smiled wide and waited patiently for me to eat. I ate quickly and got out of bed. I needed to change my clothes, and I could barely move.

"Um, Edward?" I called after I had collected a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

He stopped humming. "Yes?" 

"Can you get Esme or Alice for me?" This felt like my dream again. Me alone in the bathroom unable to dress myself. When the door opened again, Edward called my name.

"Hey Bella, Esme and Alice are out hunting right now. Can Rosalie help you?" Edward said to the door. I stifled back a groan as the door came open and Edward's flawless blonde vampire sister joined me in the bathroom. The same vampire sister whose cold glares were pointed towards me last night.

"Edward said you needed some help," she said, her voice icy.

I nodded. "I can't put my clothes on." 

In a regular conversation with no fractured ribs involved, it would've seemed like I had the maturity of a two year old. This is how Rosalie treated my response, by giggling and treating me like a retarded child. She aided me in dressing myself, but she was close to biting her tongue off in the process.

"Rosalie, did I do something funny?" I demanded acidly.

The laughing stopped. "It's not my fault you can't put your clothes on."

"I fractured a rib!" I snapped. She rolled her eyes. Yeah, that's fair. The nearly invincible vampire Rosalie is scoffing the "breakable", in Edward's terms, Bella even though _Rosalie's_ soulmate was to blame.

"Are we done now?" Rosalie demanded.

"Yes, thank you very much," I snarled, narrowing my eyes at her. It was one hundred percent obvious that there was no gratitude in my tone.

Rosalie looked like she wanted to bite my head off. "You're quite welcome."

I was definetely feeling the love from my future sister-in-law.

**Okay, so this one wasn't that good. But they can't all be gems. Please review anyways, even if you didn't like it. :)**


	17. Translations

Chapter 17: Translations

When Rosalie left, she made sure to slam the bathroom and front door so hard that dust came down from the ceilings. I stormed out of the bathroom.

Edward looked a little shocked at Rosalie's reaction.

"What happened?" he asked me.

"Your sister is the _devil_!" I hissed.

He just laughed. "Runs in the family. What do you want me to do about it?" he asked, sounding a little wary. Edward usually doesn't offer things, because he knows I'll request something out of the question. I smiled. I wasn't going to waste this offer on something stupid.

"I want you to translate people's thoughts for me," I said finally.

He grimaced. "No."

"Oh, come on! Please?" I begged.

"Bella..." he shook his head.

I grabbed his hands. "Please? For me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Bella, if I had a dime for every time you tried that--"

"Fine, if you don't love me," I muttered. Okay, so this was a low blow. I knew he loved me, but I was desperate to hear Rosalie's thoughts about me. Come to think of it, I wanted to hear _everyone's_ thoughts about me.

"Bella," he said, looking at me with pained eyes. "I do love you. But knowing what everybody thinks about you isn't always a good thing."

I just stared at him with an expression that said, "So?"

"Bella, one day. One!" he said finally. "I'll translate for you for one day!"

I smiled. "Thank you, Edward."

He just rolled his eyes and we both walked into the hallway together. A middle-aged housekeeper walked past us. Edward whispered, "She hates her life."

Down in the lobby, there were far more minds for Edward to read. Edward gestured towards a married couple and hissed, "He's cheating on her. He's wondering when his girlfriend will call him back." He looked at the wife. "She's suspicious as to whether he's being faithful."

About an overstressed businessman who was about to miss the elevator, Edward said, "He's worried about his job. He's afraid he'll get fired if he's late again." Just then, Edward's hand snapped past my face and held the elevator door open. The businessman paused for a few seconds to thank Edward and stepped inside.

We passed Emmett wandering the halls, searching for Rosalie, and Edward whispered, "He wants me to tell you he's sorry for the thousandth time, and he's wondering where Rosalie went to after she stormed off." I held back a laugh, since it would hurt my rib.

When Jasper stalked past us, he smiled, but then continued on his way. "He's sympathetic for your rib, happy he's spending time with Alice today, and still mad because I beat him at a staring contest on the plane." I laughed at the last one. If vampires don't need to breathe, do they need to blink?

As Alice approached us to explain her day, Edward whispered, "She wants to take you shopping for a 'Mediterranian adventure' in her own words."

I grimaced. Alice's idea of shopping is spending millions of dollars on tons of clothing I refused to wear. In the past experiences of shopping with Alice, usually she'd ended up putting large holes in the wallets of the Cullen family. It was true they were filthy rich, but wouldn't you be rich too if you'd lived for three hundred years as a doctor?

"Hey, Bella, you want to go shopping?" Alice asked me.

"Not really," I said bleakly.

Alice glared at me. "Why?"

"My rib hurts," I lied, and Alice's shoulders slumped as she walked away. I was hoping she wouldn't be upset at my blatant lie. Edward laughed as soon as he was sure she was out of earshot.

"Thanks for sparing my debit card," he said as he took my hand.

I beamed at him. "Anytime." As I looked into his eyes, they were two beautiful pools of gold. In the past, Carlisle had told me Edward's eyes were green as a human. Somehow I couldn't picture it on his gorgeous face.

Edward pointed to a door that had a "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the knob. I knew exactly what that meant, but Edward started explaining regardess. "He's thinking that he loves her and that she has beautiful--"

_"Edward!" _I yelled, clamping my hand over his mouth.

Edward chuckled under my hand.

By the end of the day, Edward was sick of translating the thoughts of strange people he didn't know, especially the ones who only spoke Italian, because he would have to translate twice. When Esme spotted us heading towards our room, she asked what had upset Rosalie so much.

I smiled sheepishly and Emmett roared with laughter. "So _that's_ why she was cursing your name loudly!"

Edward laughed and opened the door for me.

Rosalie was sitting on our bed. _Oh, this should be interesting._ I was secretly hoping she wouldn't peel my skin off and feed me to the buzzards, and Edward could be the judge of that. I nudged his arm.

"You don't want to know what she's thinking right now," Edward warned.

"You promised!" I whined.

"I'm doing this for your own good," Edward murmured. I rolled my eyes. There was that extremely annoying paternal instinct again. Rosalie waited patiently for me and Edward to battle it out before she spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Bella," she said.

_That was unexpected. _

"What?" I asked, cursing myself for wearing earbuds for headphones since they must be the cause for my premature deafness.

"I wanted to apologize for what I did earlier. It's really not that funny if my brother wants to marry someone who can't even dress themself," she said, rephrasing her earlier statement. Edward groaned and sat down, as if preparing for a third World War.

"I can dress myself, it just hurts!" I snapped.

She shrugged. "No pain, no gain."

"All I did was ask for some help putting my clothes on, it's not like I asked you to jump in front of a bullet for me," I said, hearing the nastiness in my voice. I knew Rosalie would probably rather chew off her toes than save my life.

Her eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't be your first choice anyways, so what does it matter?" she asked me.

"Is this really about helping me out, or about the fact that I like and trust Alice more than you?" I demanded. She snarled at me, and I could see that I had hit the jackpot. She was jealous.

Edward stood up suddenly as soon as a single sound came from Rosalie. A loud growl escaped Edward's throat as he jumped in front of me. Rosalie had just tried to attack me.

Suddenly there was a banging on the door, obviously from someone extremely strong since he almost knocked the door down. I ran to the door and opened it to reveal Emmett. His eyes widened in horror as he watched Rosalie trying to shred Edward into bits. Edward was doing a good job at holding Rosalie back, although he wasn't enjoying it.

"Whoa!" Emmett shouted, peeling Rosalie off Edward before she clawed his eyes out with her long, pale fingers. Edward snarled at her one last time before he returned to my side. I noted that his eyes were as black as the midnight sky right now.

The rest of the Cullens filed in and Esme shut the door quickly before any humans saw. Rosalie smoothed her hair and clothing before she shot me an evil stare.

"Edward, are you okay?" I asked, looking him up and down.

"I'm fine," he growled, glowering at Rosalie from over my head. Emmett dragged Rosalie out and I heard them scream at eachother from down the hall.

Suddenly Edward said, "Rosalie's thinking she hates us both and she wants us to get married and leave already." Rosalie's words cut me like a knife. She hated me that much because I asked her to help me this morning?

"She's also thinking that she wants me to get out of her head," Edward muttered. Esme put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I said to the remaining Cullens who didn't hate me with a burning passion. "I didn't know she would react like that. Thanks, Edward."

Edward just nodded before he stepped out on the balcony and shut the door. I turned to Carlisle and Esme.

"Is she going to hate me forever?" I asked.

Carlisle shrugged. "Rosalie is Rosalie. She'll probably forgive you eventually."

"Why does she hate me so much?" I could hear the confusion in my voice. It really didn't make sense for someone to hate me so much with no real excuse.

"She doesn't hate you for the reason you think, Bella," Alice said. "She's only mad because she thinks you're willing to throw your life away."

"For a good reason!" I mumbled, gesturing towards Edward. I knew he could hear every word we were saying.

Jasper stepped forward and explained. "You both are quite stubborn. Rosalie isn't used to not getting her way. When Rosalie realized that the one thing she wanted was human life, and she sees you willing to give yours up, she thinks you are being foolish."

"That can't be it," I muttered. I turned to Carlisle. "You've told me before that Rosalie was meant to be Edward's mate, but he paid no interest to her. Is that the problem? Since I got his attention, she's jealous?"

Carlisle didn't answer. Once they left, Edward came back inside and said, "She wants me to tell you something very vulgar, but I don't think you want to hear it."

"Yeah, I don't think I do," I muttered.

"Sorry," he said. "You want to hear someone's thoughts I haven't told you?"

I nodded, thinking this would be good.

"I love you," he said. "That's what's running through my mind."

I rolled my eyes and kissed him. "Nice subject-change. And I love you, too."

"Thank you," he said, kissing me lightly on the neck. "Soon, Bella, very soon."

**Hope you enjoyed that! Rosalie is being very nasty. I was originally going to have Emmett say, "Catfight on Aisle 3!" because that seemed like a definite Emmett quote, but if Rosalie tackled Bella she would probably tear her to shreds, which means no more Bella. And I promised CGlue. So no wonderful Emmett quote. Sniffle ;;**


	18. Congratulations

Chapter 18: Congratulations

The plane ride back to New York was agony. I was afraid to go to sleep because I didn't think the people in _China's _ears had stopped ringing yet from the outcome of my first plane ride snooze.

Edward looked a little puzzled when I excused myself and went to the bathroom before we landed in New York. He probably thought I would find a way to get myself stuck and accidently flush myself down the toilet.

As I sat down on the seat, I dug into the pockets of my jeans and retrieved my phone. When I flipped it open, it said I had fourteen new voicemails. _Oh, crap._ Charlie was going to kill me, especially because I never left a note. I checked my voicemail and listened to Charlie's nine messages, Jacob's two, Angela's one, and then my mother's four messages. Renee's final message was:

_Bella, Charlie's called me and told me you've gone missing. He supposes you're with Edward. I have some news to tell you, so please call me back as soon as you can. While you're at it, it might be best for you to come to Jacksonville. I love you. Bye._

I shut my phone. This can't be good.

I immediately dialed Renee's number and got her voicemail. I groaned before the beep and then said, "Hey, mom, it's Bella. I'm on the plane right now and we're stopping in New York in a few minutes. I'm going to take Edward with me and we're coming to Jacksonville. I'll see you in a little while. I love you, bye!" And I shut my phone. When I sat down next to Edward, I regaled him with my plan.

Edward reached over and tapped Carlisle on the shoulder. He immediately turned to face us. "Bella and I are getting off in New York and we're going to take the next flight into Jacksonville," Edward explained.

Carlisle simply nodded and turned back around. When the plane landed, Edward and I grabbed our stuff and we got off the plane, making it just in time for the next Jacksonville liftoff. The plane was on the runway, and it was already nearly full by the time Edward and I scrambled up the stairs, me tripping in the process, and we sat down.

"We made it," I groaned. Edward chuckled.

"What do you Renee's news will be?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "Death in the family?" His eyebrows rose.

"Look, don't worry about it, it could be good news, too," I assured him. Why was I assuring _him_ when it was my family? Knowing my mother, she could have asked me to come all the way to Jacksonville just to confirm that she had a gray hair on the top of her head. Seriously, that's Renee. Impulse galore.

We landed in a few hours and Edward helped me out of the plane and grabbed our stuff from baggage claim at the same time. By the time we got to Renee and Phil's house, it was three in the mornng.

"Mom!" I knocked on the door. I saw Phil's head poke through the yellow curtains hanging in front of a window, and he smiled at me. Well, more like the exhausted shell of myself that Edward was partially carrying, but you get my point. Phil opened the door.

"Who is it, honey?" Renee asked, walking into the living room. I noted that she was holding her back with one hand, and the other was on her stomach.

"Bella!" she cheered, running over to hug me. I felt a sharp pain on my chest when she slammed into me. Has she always weighed this much?

"Hi, mom," I said into her hair. She pulled away, smiling wide.

"Hello, Edward," Renee said, the cheer in her voice lessening dramatically. Ever since I had clued her in on our wedding plans, her feelings towards Edward changed. Edward shook her hand.

"Well, Bella, let's see it," Renee said. Her voice was thick with implications. It took me a few seconds to understand what she meant, but Edward held up my hand and my ring sparkled.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Renee squealed. Phil didn't seem to care much. Renee dragged me to the side and I heard Edward and Phil making awkward small talk. Renee was explaining the latest events in Jacksonville before I interrupted her.

"Mom, in that last voicemail you said you had news," I said. She nodded. "Is there something I should know?"

"Well, honey. There is something important I need to tell you; I'm pregnant!" she exclaimed. My jaw dropped. _Pregnant?! _I wanted to scream and break something.

"How long?" I asked, still stunned.

"I'm four months along with a baby girl!" she said, grabbing Phil's hand. I felt like I was going to faint, and just then I felt Edward's protective hand on my shoulder. I clutched it frantically before I thought I would pass out.

"Why couldn't you tell me over the phone?" I asked, hearing my own voice betray me and crack a few times. Renee looked a little concerned at my reaction. My mother and pregant did not belong in the same sentence together!

"I wanted to see you, honey. Are you all right?" she asked.

"No, I'm not!" I exploded. "How could you be pregnant?"

"Bella, calm down," Edward murmured. I glared up at him before I continued to crush my mothers heart into pieces.

"You're only having this baby to replace me because I didn't want to join you in your precious little Jacksonville home!" I fumed. This was being completely unfair, but somehow I couldn't stop the nasty words from spilling out of my mouth.

"Bella, that's not true," she whipered. She was wiping her eyes now. Great, I made my mother cry. I'm a terrible person. Not only have I broken my mother's heart, I've also hurt Phil. And now when the baby is born, they will tell her all about her evil half-sister Bella who disapproved from the minute the news was delivered.

"Congratulations," I snarled. And instead of saying something else I would regret, I opened the door and walked outside. Edward threw a sympathetic glance at Renee before he followed me outside. Without saying a word, Edward threw me on his back and ran us to a motel. He didn't speak to me until we had thrown our things on the floor and I collapsed on the fluffy bed in front of me.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I mumbled.

"I'm not the person you should be apologizing to," he pointed out, pulling out his cell phone when it began to ring.

"Carlisle, we're in Florida now. Yes, we're safe. She's fine. No. I'll see you in a few days."

I tried to ignore Edward's voice. I knew he was right, but I was too stubborn to admit it. I curled up on the bed and stayed silent before I fell asleep. I don't think I ever felt Edward next to me. I opened my eyes in the morning, resenting the sun for having to rise, and noticed Edward was gone. I glanced at the nightstand, where there was a note written in Edward's elegant handwriting.

_Bella: Out hunting. Be back in an hour or so. At least consider apologizing to Renee. Love you, Edward._

I groaned. Great. Even my vampire fiancee thinks I make stupid decisions. I decided to call Alice.

"Hello, Bella!" she said cheerily as soon as she picked up.

"Hi," I muttered.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, the happiness thrown out the window.

I sighed. "My mother just told me she's pregnant."

"That's great, Bella!" she exclaimed.

"No, Alice, it's not! I told her I thought she was trying to replace me, broke her heart, and now my mother, my stepfather, and my fiance all hate me!" I exploded.

"Why does Edward hate you?" Alice asked, sounding perplexed.

"He's dead set on me apologizing, and I'm scared to," I admitted.

"Why?"

I groaned. "I don't know! Just the idea of my mother being pregnant is weird!" Having this conversation was less comforting than I expected.

"If Esme was pregnant, I would be ecstatic," Alice offered.

"Thanks, Alice," I muttered sarcastically.

"When are you and my dear brother coming home?" Alice sounded anxious.

"Aw, Alice, do you miss me?" I asked.

"Not a chance," Alice lied. "Rosalie wants to know so she can rip your face off."

"She's still mad, huh?" I expected this.

"Definetely. She called Emmett a traitor for defending you and now they're not speaking to eachother. But don't worry, she'll get over it eventually," Alice explained. Well, duh. Of course she would get over it, she was going to live forever.

"I'm sorry about this. I screw up everything, don't I?" I muttered.

"Pretty much!" I had never noticed how annoying Alice's perkiness was.

"Alice, I hate you," I grumbled. She laughed.

"Yeah, that's what everyone says. I love you too! Bye," she said, still laughing. I rolled off the bed and screamed when I stood up and faced my gorgeou,s but strangely upset, fiance.

"Good morning to you, too," I grumbled after my heart restarted. I stormed past him and headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower when I felt his hand lash out and grip my arm. He turned me to face him.

"You think I hate you?" he demanded. I tried to pry his fingers off my arm, but he wouldn't budge until I answered.

"Let go!" I whined.

"Are you going to answer the question?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Possibly," I growled.

"What gave you the idea that I hate you?" he demanded.

"Oh, I don't know, the fact that you didn't say anything to me last night except telling me to apologize. How about siding with me just this once?"

His eyes narrowed. "I side with you all the time! Don't give me that!"

"Oh, yeah right! You're constantly contradicting me as if you know everything!" I snapped.

"Maybe it's just because I know what's best for you," he countered.

"I can take care of myself!" I insisted.

"Okay, so if I were to take off right this minute and leave you here in Florida by yourself, what would you do?" he quipped.

"I would take the next flight back to Forks and try to forget all about you. Jacob would gladly take me back!" I shouted. Okay, so that was hitting below the belt. Edward flinched.

"Okay, let's fight fire with fire! You seem to enjoy my reaction whenever you mention that _mutt_ of yours. How would you like it if I said 'Tanya, my Tanya' in my dreams _every five seconds_?" he demanded.

I glared at him. I don't think I had ever had such a heated argument with him. He kind of scared me when his eyes got as black as they were now.

"You don't dream," I snapped.

"Why is it so hard for you to admit that I'm right and you're wrong?" he demanded, laughing dryly.

"Because you seem to think you're always right!"

"I'm sorry that the wisdom of somebody who is one hundred and eight years old offends you so much!" he said through his teeth before he stormed out of the hotel room. He couldn't go far in Florida, but the feeling that I could have more than two feet in mouth was enough to make me throw my pillow across the room and scream.

**I don't like making them fight. :( But I hope you enjoyed reading that. Please review! I love hearing what you guys think about it. I'll be working on it tonight and the rest of the week. On Monday schools starts again (blehhh) so I won't have as much time.**


	19. Postponement and Atonement

Chapter 19: Postponement and Atonement

I stayed in bed like a helpless lump all day. Edward returned at night, but he never looked at me once.

"Hi," I said as soon as he started to set his stuff down.

He ignored me. I groaned.

"Please talk to me," I begged.

Silence.

"You can't ignore me forever!" I insisted.

He turned away from me and shrugged off his jacket.

"If you're going to ignore me, then I'll cancel the wedding!" I threatened.

He suddenly turned towards me. "You wouldn't dare." I could tell that my warning had made him seethe with anger. I looked at his cold, dark eyes and had to stop myself from shuddering.

"I would too!" I cried, reaching for my phone. In two seconds, he was across the room and prying my fingers open. My fingers were locked around my cell phone and I could feel himself restraining from breaking them in order to get custody. I never knew Verizon was so appealing. I squealed in pain when he finally ripped my hand away from my cell phone.

He slowly stepped backwards towards the screen door and the balcony. I watched as he opened the door and stepped out. His arm was still stretched behind him with my phone clutched in his hand.

"No!" I yelled when I realized what he was going to do. "You can't!"

"Watch me." Edward smiled and heaved the phone with all his might across Jacksonville. My phone was a goner.

"Are you _crazy?_" I demanded. I almost flew off the balcony at the speed I picked up as I tried to kill my fiance. My dear fiance who just _murdered_ my poor, innocent phone. Edward just pushed me back by my shoulders as I threw myself towards him in an effort to tackle him.

"Don't rebreak your rib," he told me as he pushed me backwards.

"I'll kill you!" I shrieked as I thrashed in his grip.

He laughed. "Love you, too."

"Put me _down!_" I shouted. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Is everything okay in there?" an unfamiliar voice asked. _Oh, crap. Somebody probably thinks Edward's murdering me in here. _

"Everything's fine," Edward called back politely.

"No, it's not!" I shouted. Edward's hand suddenly clamped over my mouth. He looked angry now.

"Are you trying to get me arrested?" he demanded.

"Mmph!" I mumbled. My voice was still muffled due to the presence of Edward's hand over my mouth. His hand drew back and he let me speak. "Considering that you just stole my property and vandalized it, I'd say you deserve it!"

He laughed. "You are unbelievable, you know that, right?"

"And you're the _best_ fiance a girl could ask for," I snarled. He frowned at my sarcasm. I have to admit, that didn't solve anything, but _I_ felt better. He rolled his eyes and plopped down on the bed beside mine.

"What?" I asked angrily.

"I'm giving up," he replied simply.

"You're _what?_" I demanded.

"You obviously don't want to do this, so I'm giving up," he explained.

I wasn't getting it. "Giving up what, exactly?"

"This!" he gestured around himself.

"Could you edit your sentences for dummies for me? Because you're not making any sense!" I snapped. He groaned, then stopped, and took a deep breath.

"Postpone the wedding!" he finally said. Okay, so that was what he meant by "giving up". I nodded for a second and then I actually realized what he had just said. Right then was when I realized I had my legs folded underneath me on the edge of the bed. Right then was also when I collapsed and fell off the edge of the bed.

I thought I was dreaming when I heard the voice of an angel.

"Bella," I heard his voice say. I wanted to be angry, but I could barely open my eyes, let alone muster up the energy to smack him. Slowly and painfully, I sat up. With his help, I got halfway to my feet and remembered my rib.

"Put me down," I breathed.

He obeyed, and dropped me on the floor. I moaned as I slammed my fists on the floor and sat up on my own.

"Ow," I whined. "Why did you do that?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "I was just following orders."

"Okay, smartass!" I raised my voice with every syllable. "Go get me my cell phone!"

He shrugged. "No can do. No such thing exists."

"I hateyou," I grumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Edward laughed.

"Were you serious?" I asked, when I regained coherency.

One of his eyesbrows rose in confusion. "About?"

"Postponing the wedding," I said.

He avoided my gaze. "To me, it seems like you don't want this yet."

"But I do," I admitted, hearing the sadness in my voice.

"Well you have a funny way of showing it," Edward mumbled. I felt my eyes well up with tears. I looked away from Edward then and wiped my eyes.

"Don't cry, Bella," he murmured, his voice pained. I turned my head slightly to see him standing right next to me, reaching his fingers out to wipe my tear. I looked away, but his finger slowly tipped my chin up to look at him. I reached over to kiss him gently, and his lips met mine with perfect harmony.

My cheeks were still wet with tears, and Edward's thumb gently wiped them away as his hand caressed my cheek. My rib was throbbing with pain, but I ignored it as the kiss sped up. We hadn't gotten too far when Edward gently pushed away and murmured, "Sleep, Bella."

So I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep. When I opened my eyes again, Edward was right beside me, humming my lullaby. I snuggled in closer to him, inhaling his sweet scent before I murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Are you awake?" he whispered. I nodded.

"I'm sorry about your phone," he said, chuckling.

"I'm going to make it up to you," I promised.

"To _me_?" he asked incredulously.

I stared at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean?"

"_I_ broke your phone!" he pointed out.

"I think I broke your heart," I whispered, tracing a figure eight on the bare skin of his chest. I was scared to look into his eyes, though, because I didn't want to cry.

"Bella," he murmured, kissing my forehead. "I forgive you."

"I didn't mean what I said about Jacob," I mumbled. "I _do_ love you."

"I know," he said, grinning at me. Then he sprang out of bed and started changing his clothes in front of me. I couldn't stop myself from gawking at his chisled features, and he laughed at my expression.

"Get dressed, Bella," he said softly, once he pulled a polo shirt on.

"Where are we going?" I asked, heading towards the door to beckon for Alice. I was _not _about to call Rosalie again.

"Well, _I'm_ about to buy you another phone," he replied.

"You don't have to," I laughed.

He shrugged. I slowly and painfully got dressed and ran out the door to join Edward, my fingers intertwining with his as we walked down the hall. In the elevator, I reached over to tousle his hair and he grabbed my arm swiftly but softly. He pulled me close to him and kissed me.

"Not here, Edward," I said, his lips still on mine.

He smiled in the kiss and then pulled away. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he disheveled my hair and then bolted out of the elevator. I glowered at him as I walked out and tried to fix my hair with the last remaining shred of dignity I had left.

Edward laughed and scooped me up in his arms.

"How adversed would you be to a trip to the mall?" he asked me.

I grimaced.

"Give it a shot," he said, setting me down.

Orange Park mall was bustling with people getting their back-to-school shopping done. Edward didn't seem fazed by the amount of people or the length of lines, but he only left my side for an hour. I wandered aimlessly for a few seconds before I stumbled across an S & K Menswear store. A little lightbulb appeared above my head.

I picked out a surprise for Edward carefully and met him in front of the Dillard's. He noticed the bag in my hand instantly and tried to look inside. I intercepted it from his reach.

"What's in there?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said simply.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he dropped the subject. Once we got home, I was careful not to let the bag out of my sight for one second. He kept eyeing it warily and then he finally surrendered my cell phone.

I gasped.

This was definetely not the flip phone I had before, or anything like it. I examined the silver Razr in my hands and looked up at Edward, who had a huge smile on his face.

"Edward, I can't accept this." I handed it back to him. He looked confused and, for a second, hurt.

"Why? I broke your first one." he held it out in front of me, but I just stared at it.

"Exactly, and my first one is nothing like this!" I pushed it back towards him.

"Just take it, Bella," he insisted, his voice getting more stern.

"I said no," I said, hearing the hint of annoyance in my voice.

He groaned and plopped down on the bed. Before I knew it, Edward had pounced on the S & K Menswear bag and pulled out a cerulean necktie. He just examined it for a few seconds, then he laughed. I joined in with him, and he stood up and kissed me.

"I thought you hated cerulean," he said, gently touching his forehead to mine. "Where did this come from?"

"I saw it in my dream," I replied, smiling at him.

"And?" he grinned.

"Very sexy," I answered, pulling on his collar to bring him towards me so I could kiss him again. We kissed for a few minutes, and when I paused to breathe, Edward saw his chance and pounced on it while I was still dazed.

"Oh, Bella?" he murmured.

"Hmm?" I asked absentmindedly.

"Take the phone." He placed the phone in my hand and I rolled my eyes in surrender.

**Yup, fight's over! Hope you enjoyed that! Please review!! **


	20. Obeying Orders

Chapter 20: Obeying Orders

"I have an idea," I announced after I accepted my new phone.

"Another idea? This should be good," Edward said, looking amused.

"Let's have our wedding here."

His expression turned from amused to bemused. "Why?"

"We're already here, so why not?" I took his hands.

"Bella..." he looked at me with questioning eyes.

"Please don't look at me like that," I mumbled.

He looked exasperated now. "We're having the wedding in Forks."

"Fine," I said as I crawled onto the bed.

"Well now, _I _have an idea," he pointed out, smiling.

I groaned. "I'm listening."

"I take you to Renee's house," he said, ignoring my death stare. "You apologize, talk about the pregnancy and the wedding, then you thank me for being so smart, and then we go home and leave this wretched, sunny place!"

"Hmm, lemme think. No!" I snapped.

"It's a good idea, Bella, and you know it," he pointed out.

"I know nothing!" I screamed. Instantly I regretted saying that.

"Obviously," he muttered. "Just do it." And then he scooped me up, pulled me off the bed and carried me out the door.

"Edward, put me down," I ordered. He placed me gently on my feet. I admit, I tried to run. And instantly he was in front of me, smirking as he crossed his arms.

"Don't rub it in," I grumbled as he took my hand and led me into the rental car which took me to the place where my own fiance was forcibly causing my own death.

I hesitated about twenty times to knock on the door before Edward knocked for me. I glared at him and he had the nerve to smile. I saw my mother look through the curtain, recognize me as her worthless daughter, and then disappeared. I waited for for a few minutes before I realized she wasn't going to answer the door.

"Mom! I know you're in there!" I yelled. I banged on the door.

"There's nobody home!" she called back.

Edward's lip twitched while he tried not to laugh.

"Oh, please! I think you already passed second grade, mom!" I shouted.

Phil finally got the door.

"Yes, Bella?" he asked warily.

"I need to talk to my mom," I told him. He bit his lip nervously.

"She's busy right now," he lied.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, when my mother decides to act her age, please have her call me." Just then I saw my mother in the living room, reading a magazine with her feet up on the coffee table. I clenched my fists angrily and gritted my teeth.

"Will do," Phil said in a monotone voice, and then he slammed the door in my face. By the time the door came in contact with my face, I was already seething with anger. By now, I wanted to rip Phil's head off and serve it on a platter for Charlie's enjoyment.

"Whatever you're thinking, it can't be good," Edward said, rubbing my back. I turned back to the rental car and got in the passenger seat.

"Oh, it's not, and it involves Phil and the fate of John the Baptist," I growled.

(For those who don't know, John the Baptist was the man who baptized Jesus and he ended up dying due to King Herod's daughter's demand of his head on a silver platter.)

"Harsh," Edward said sarcastically. "Atleast you tried."

"So I'm off the hook? No more lectures?" I asked, almost in shock.

"Yes, no more lectures," he replied.

"Sweet!" I cried, leaning over to plant one on his cheek.

He laughed. "I should spare the lectures more often."

"Yes, you should," I said quickly. He smiled at me.

"Now let's get out of this place," he urged, driving towards the airport. In a few hours, we were back in Forks, rejoicing to be back underneath the gray clouds and perpetual drizzling. Once we were off the plane, Edward grabbed me up in a hug and kissed me.

Edward went back to his family and left me to face Charlie by myself. As soon as I came through the door, Charlie barreled into me and hugged me tight.

"Isabella Swan, where have you been for the past week?" he demanded, still squeezing me about Emmett-tight.

"Um...It was all a misunderstanding?" I tried. I had used this line, so it was likely that Charlie wouldn't buy it.

"No you don't, Isabella! You tell me exactly where you went!" he shouted.

"Allright, dad. I've been in... L.A. and then I went to visit mom in Jacksonville," I explained. I hated lying to him, but it was either that or face decapitation.

"Go to your room, Bella!" he growled.

I grabbed my things and stormed upstairs. Edward was waiting for me on my bed. I collapsed onto the mattress and sighed. Home.

"I'm happy to see my family, too," he murmured.

"They wouldn't be very happy to see me," I said, cringing.

He chuckled. "No, just Rosalie."

"I think Charlie's going to ground me again."

He nodded. "I have my ways of seeing you," he said sneakily.

I looked at him funny. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Shh," he whispered, and then he disappeared. The door slowly cracked open and Charlie walked in. I think this is the first time he's ever stepped foot in my room.

"Bella," he said in a deep, paternal voice.

"Go ahead, dad, ground me. I know I deserve it." I was way beyond just wanting to skip the lecture. He looked stunned.

"Actually, I wanted to come in and give you the phone. Renee wants to talk to you," he explained. I could still tell he was confused, but he handed me the phone and left.

"Mom?" I asked. Suddenly she burst into tears. "Mom, are you okay?"

More sobbing on the other line. This can't be good.

"Honey, I just got into a car accident," she said between sobs.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

"I'm fine, but the baby isn't," she replied, sniffing every few words.

"Oh my god, what happened?" My voice was shaking. Edward started rubbing my back. He succeeded in comforting me a little, but I still felt like throwing up.

"The airbag was on, honey, and it killed the baby," she cried.

My hand went numb and I dropped the phone on the bed. I could hear my mother's distant voice calling my name. I couldn't take my eyes off the wall, and I reached blindly for the phone.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"I know, honey," she blubbered.

"Mom, I have to go," I lied.

"Okay, honey, call me soon," she said, choking over tears.

Edward held my hand as I cried for a little while. I felt totally responsible for the baby's death. How could I not, when I had yelled at her and hated the baby for no reason. It was simply an innocent unborn human life who didn't deserve its death or its treatment and now it was simply dead.

"Esme lost her son, too," Edward said comfortingly.

"And then she jumped off a cliff," I reminded him acidly. Oh, I really hoped my mother wouldn't try anything like that.

He nodded. "She's happier with Carlisle."

"My mom is going to be everything but happy right now." I hissed.

"Bella, this isn't your fault," Edward said sotfly.

"It feels like it," I mumbled.

"Hey!" he said a little louder. I looked at him. "Don't blame yourself. This was fate, karma, timing, whatever you want to call it. But whatever you call it, it's not you.

My lower lip quivered before Edward's lips met mine. His lips against mine were gentle and comforting. When the kiss was over and done, Edward smiled and brushed his thumb against my cheek gently. He was so perfect.

"I think you need to sleep," Edward whispered, and I crawled over to my pillow and got under the covers. I remember hearing my lullaby before I slipped into a deep sleep.

As I opened my eyes, I realized Edward wasn't next to me. He and Jacob were standing at the foot of my bed, talking to eachother while they believed I was awake.

"All this time, I thought I was jealous of you, but really I was jealous of Bella!" Jacob explained.

"I feel the same way," Edward admitted. What was I overhearing?

"So let's try to keep this a secret from Bella, okay?" Jacob asked, turning to leave.

"Wait--" Edward said, grabbing the collar of Jacob's polo shirt and making him face him.

"You know it's not safe for us here," Jacob whispered.

"I don't know when I'll see you again." Edward's voice sounded pained. What the hell was going on in front of me? And then their faces were just inches away from eachother when they kissed. Jacob and Edward of all people. And that's when I screamed and woke up.

Edward jumped a foot in the air at my scream while I scrambled off the bed and towards the window.

"Bella, what is it?!" he demanded.

"You...Jacob--kiss!" I stammered out. Edward's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Bella, spit it out!" he said finally, reaching over to me.

I avoided his hand. "Don't touch me!"

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked.

"You and Jacob, you kissed in front of my bed!" I finally choked out. He stared at me like I had just swallowed a puppy whole. Then when he realized I was serious, he burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"It's not funny!" I insisted. He shook his head.

"Geez, Bella, you were only dreaming!" he said between laughs.

"I knew that," I muttered, crawling back into bed. He took me in a gentle hug and kissed my forehead to calm me down.

"You should have heard what you were saying," he whispered. I rolled my eyes and decided it would be best not to ask him what I had been saying in my sleep.

"You don't want to know what you were saying?" he asked me incredulously. Am I really that predictable? I shook my head and snuggled in closer to him silently.

"Why?" he asked, still curious.

"Shh," I whispered. "I'm trying to sleep."

He chuckled and became silent as I fell asleep. He waited until I was fully asleep for a record of five minutes before he said, "Wake up, Bella!"

I groaned.

"It's eight o' clock," he pointed out while he shook me.

"Exactly, go away," I grumbled, swatting at him like a fly.

Suddenly he was gone.

"Edward?" I hissed, as I sat up to search for him.

Silence. Not even an eerie laugh, just plain quiet.

"Okay, this new-fangled following orders thing is really annoying!" I exclaimed. Then the doorknob shook and the door came open slowly. Charlie poked his head through and he smiled sympathetically.

"Hey, Bells," he said softly.

"Hi," I muttered, a little shocked that I wasn't condemned to house arrest yet.

"I wanted to see if you're okay." He set some eggs and bacon down on my nightstand. Okay, this was unexpected. He must have seen the confusion on my face because he elaborated. "Renee told me what happened."

I nodded. "I'm okay, dad."

"So, about this past week. I've decided not to ground you," he said. I noted that he was twisting and crumpling a towel in his hands nervously.

My eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I think you're already under enough stress, and being grounded at home will only make it worse. But, I am insisting that next time you tell me when you fly across the country!"

"Will do, dad," I said, smiling at him. And then he left, closing the door behind him. I waited until I heard his footsteps going down the stairs before I called Edward's name again.

"Edward!" I called. I ran towards the window and opened it. When I poked my head out to look down, he was waving at me. I watched as he scaled the wall and climbed back in.

"That wasn't funny," I grumbled.

"Was too," he said.

"Did you hear that?" I asked him.

"Let's see, super vampire hearing abilities...Nope, didn't hear a word," Edward said, smiling as he ignored me glowering at him.

**Hello everybody. HI THERESA!! lol hope you enjoyed that even though it sucked. ;) Review!!**


	21. Sunblock

Chapter 21: Sunblock

"You want to do something fun?" Edward asked me.

I turned to face him. "Define 'fun'."

He laughed, and took my hand to drag me outside into his Volvo. When we were both comfortable in his comfy leather interior, I asked him, "This is fun?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Silly Bella, we're not there yet."

I shrugged and decided to humor him. I fiddled with the Sirius satellite radio on his dashboard until I found a station playing "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles.

"I'm not gonna write you a love song, 'cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one!" I sang. Edward stared at me incredulously until the song finished. He turned the volume down.

"You like that song?" Curiosity sparkled in his eyes.

"Yes," I replied simply. "Why?"

"No reason," he said hurriedly, staring out towards the road. I dropped the subject and waited silently while Edward drove over ninety miles per hour. When he passed his own house, I got a little curious.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he said, probably losing his train of thought.

"We just passed your house," I pointed out.

"Yep," he replied, popping his "P".

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded. He didn't answer me. I turned towards my window and stared out as we passed mile after mile of trees whizzing past me so fast it almost seemed surreal. When the car slowed and then came to a stop, I looked forward to see a sunless, gray beach.

"Why are we at the beach?" I pointed towards the huge waves.

He shrugged. "Nice day?"

I laughed and shook my hand. "For the beach?"

He nodded.

"You guys can't be seen in the sun," I reminded him.

"Alice says it's going to be cloudy and drizzling all weekend. Which is why we're staying here this weekend," Edward explained.

"Edward, you're impossible," I muttered as I got out of the car.

"Yeah, I know." I watched him curiously as he opened his trunk and handed me a bag that said "Everything but Water" on it.

"Oh, no," I grumbled as I peeked inside. Yep, there it was. A navy blue string bikini with a white flower pattern on it. "This was Alice's doing, I suppose?"

He nodded, grinning wide.

"Cheer up, Bella, I won't laugh," he said, rubbing my back with his hand. I rolled my eyes. _Gee, thanks_. I helped him bring a few towels inside and gasped when I got a look at our room.

"Edward!" I shrieked.

"What?" he asked, sounding distressed.

"What is this?" I demanded.

"Our room," he replied simply as he set an armful of towels down on a countertop. When he was finished setting everything down, he put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him to see him smiling.

"You love to pamper me, don't you?" I asked him, hearing the annoyance in my voice. What was with this boy that gave him the need to spoil someone constantly?

He groaned. "Why can't you be like most humans and enjoy a little fun?"

"What if I don't want to be like most humans?" I asked him, touching his nose lightly with my fingertip. He smiled and kissed me.

"Sometimes I wish you would so I could read your mind!" he said, grabbing me up in a playful hug. I squirmed good-naturedly and he let me free.

"Go get dressed, the waves are huge out there!" he snatched his swim trunks from his table and ran to the bathroom. I took the bag with my beloved bikini in it and stormed off to an empty bedroom where I stripped down and tied the tiny swatches of sapphire fabric on my chest. Alice was so dead.

When it came time to step into the bikini bottom, I almost had a heart attack. Was Alice _trying_ to kill me with such a revealing bottom? I examined myself in a mirror at the end of the hall and trudged out to face my gorgeous fiancé.

"I'll have to thank Alice later," he said.

"For…?" My voice trailed off expectantly.

He chuckled. "Bella, you're so absurd."

Okay, so that wasn't the answer I'd been hoping for. Edward reached over to grab a towel from the counter and he passed it towards me. Then he bolted out the door faster than I could blink.

I slowly followed him outside to catch a glimpse of the other Cullens chasing each other around on the beach.

"I thought you said it was just us!" I yelled as I finally caught up to Edward.

"I meant it's just us this weekend," he murmured, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed and smacked him on the arm playfully before he scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder as he bolted down the beach.

"Close your eyes, Bella," he warned.

"Not a chance!" I yelled back as I squirmed and thrashed. Suddenly he heaved me into the water and laughed as I shrieked. The water was freezing. I held my breath until I resurfaced to murder my fiancé.

"Edward, you're dead!" I growled.

He laughed. "Not if you can't catch me!"

Oops, forgot that.

"Don't worry, Bella, I've got your back!" Emmett said as he crouched down in front of me. I graciously climbed on his back and closed my eyes before Emmett took off after Edward. Edward was the fastest, but Emmett was no snail, either. Emmett finally tackled Edward and pinned him down to the ground.

They snarled at each other playfully before Esme shouted, "Boys!"

Emmett deposited me on top of Edward and ran back to Rosalie, who undoubtedly still wanted to shove needles under my fingernails. I shuddered as I noticed Rosalie's piercing, hateful stare. Edward hissed quietly at her and she turned away from us.

Edward turned to me and stared at me with his golden eyes before I realized I was still on top of him. "Sorry," I mumbled, trying to roll off of him until he held me in place and kissed me.

"Don't be sorry," he murmured before kissing me again.

Slowly, and without stopping to break the kiss, he rolled on top of me without registering any weight on me at all. I pulled away slowly and moved down to his neck. I noticed he stopped breathing.

"Bella," he whispered.

I looked up at him and his lips collided against mine more forcefully now and with a passion that almost sent me flying. Somehow, and against my knowledge, I had ended up on top of him again. My hand was on his neck with my thumb just grazing under his ear and the other hand was in his hair. His hand was on my cheek, the other on my waist. I broke to breathe a little and he looked at me with his topaz eyes that were sparkling with passion and love.

"I love you," he murmured.

I absentmindedly traced circles on his chest with my finger. "I love you, too." He took my hand in his and smiled at me.

Then he helped me up and we walked down the beach together with our hands still intertwined. Suddenly a cloud shifted and the sun came out, causing all of the Cullens to twinkle and blind me. They all retrieved towels in perfect unison to wrap around themselves and they turned away from the sun.

I just laughed at their simultaneous reaction and Edward glared at Alice.

"Jeez, Edward, stop looking at me like that! So I made a mistake!" she grumbled defensively. Just then another cloud began to cover the sun and a wave of relief washed through all of us.

"Jasper!" Alice scolded.

He just shrugged. Edward turned to me.

"You forgot sunscreen, didn't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer. I smiled sheepishly and he groaned.

"Bella!" he said in a reproving tone.

"It's not sunny, anyways!" I said defensively.

"You'll get burned," he insisted.

"I will not!" I muttered, hoping I didn't seem like a petulant baby.

"I warned you," he mumbled.

A few hours later, I'll be damned, I could start to feel a little discomfort on my shoulders. By the time the sun set and Edward and I were heading back, I knew I was burned. How is it possible to get sunburned badly on a relatively sunless day. I was moving out of Edward's Volvo stiffly when he raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Is somebody sunburned, Bella?" he asked innocently when I trudged inside.

I shook my head. "Nope, I'm fine."

"You're lying, Bella!" he accused.

"I am not!" I insisted, plopping down on the couch and soon regretting it. I must have cringed, because Edward glared at me. I reached for the remote, which made the strap of my tank top irritate my shoulder, and turned the TV on ABC Family. Edward loped my way harmlessly and sat down next to me. Suddenly he poked my shoulder without looking away from the TV screen.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He shook his head. When he poked me again, it hurt.

"Edward!" I said. "Stop it!"

"Why? Does it hurt?" he asked, sounding amused.

"Nope, not at all," I fibbed.

He poked me again, this time slower and longer. He ignored me, never taking his eyes away from the _Kyle XY _episode on the screen. When his finger was worming its way towards me again, I intercepted its path and kept it hostage in my palm.

"Remember those books you found in our basement?" Edward asked out of the blue. I turned and nodded, releasing his finger.

"They're Carlisle's old medical journals," he explained.

"Did you read them?" I said curiously.

He shook his head. "Carlisle told me they were there for a reason, and that we shouldn't read them."

"So that basically means you want to sneak down there and read them all, right?" I asked. I smiled up at him.

He smirked mockingly. "No, it just means he's hiding something."

"You're going to go down there, aren't you?"

"Exactly." He smiled rebelliously.

"I'm not going down there with you," I told him, enjoying his reaction at first. He glared at me and then his smile turned more towards an evil idea popping up in his head. He lashed out and poked me again and again. I whined and cried out as he irritated my sunburn.

"OKAY! I'M SUNBURNED, DAMMIT!" I exploded.

Edward burst into laughter. I smacked his shoulder.

"Sorry, Bella, you're just so impossible," he muttered.

"Gee, thanks," I grumbled, turning to watch the TV instead of Edward enjoying the "absurdity" of my behavior.

Edward shook his head. "This is all so unbelievable."

I looked at him, confused.

"This _Kyle XY _nonsense? You don't see the mediocrity and ignominy in this show?" he demanded.

"In English?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"This is completely impossible," he muttered.

"Okay, a _vampire_ is criticizing TV producers' ideas for a show about an unknown kid with special powers wanting to be a normal human?" I asked, amused.

He glowered at me.

"I'm right, aren't I?" I asked, imitating his voice.

He rolled his eyes and poked me again. If he didn't have super strength, I would have broken his finger already. But I didn't--so instead I just took his hand in mine and changed the subject.

"One week until the wedding," I whispered. This made him smile and his eyes grew softer and less playful.

"Next Sunday," he murmured, leaning over to kiss me.

I held his head in place just inches from mine while I got my fill of his delicious kisses before he leaned back on his armrest once we got carried away. A week seemed like a year in the time it was passing by. Soon Edward and I could be each other's and nothing would ever keep us apart.

"You're lost in thought," he pointed out, smiling. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and stroked my cheek with his cold thumb for a few seconds before falling back onto his side of the couch.

I nodded. "I can't wait."

"You don't have to, Bella," he reminded me.

I looked at him with a reproving expression. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, as if testing my answer. I really didn't want to bring this up again, because this subject had already been dropped a few times before for good reason.

"I don't want to talk about this," I finally said once our staring contest was over and I had lost yet again.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't," he muttered.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked, annoyed now.

"Yes, actually I do," he said smugly.

"I'm listening," I groused.

He shifted his position on the couch and spilled, "I think you just want to wait to defy whatever I say. You always seem to go against whatever I say."

"I'm not going to agree with you on everything," I said.

"You're doing it again!" he yelled, sounding more exasperated than before.

"You're right about everything, Edward," I said sarcastically.

"That's all I wanted to hear," he said arrogantly.

I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. "YOU ARE SO IRRITATING!"

He smiled proudly. "Thank you."

I groaned and fell back on my chair, determined to ignore him and his immature behavior despite his tactics to make me laugh and forgive him. This was not going to be easy.

**Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed that, and sorry it's a little late. School started again today and I'm tired. Anyways, the next chapter is Edward's POV so I hope you'll enjoy that! Keep reading and review! ;)**


	22. A Man's Point of View

Chapter 22: A man's point of view

Edward's POV:

Bella is being…Bella. How would I describe Bella? Irritating, exasperating, infuriating, sarcastic, humorous, dependable, beautiful, perfect? Yes, that's definitely Bella. She was leaning on her side of the couch, exhaling angrily every minute or so, avoiding any contact with me whatsoever.

I purposely reached over and traced my fingers over her hand to test her reaction. She simply withdrew her hand and placed it in her lap, never ceasing to watch the poorly-written dribble titled _Kyle Xy._ I knew she would give in and surrender to my charm eventually, so I would wait it out until tomorrow morning.

Much to my surprise, she didn't want me in bed with her, so I stayed on the couch while she retreated to the bedroom alone and showered before the lights shut off and her heartbeat slowed. I figured I'd atleast check up on her, to see what she would say in her sleep. Much to my astonishment, she didn't say much besides her mother's name and Charlie. My name didn't even come up once.

Oh, well, it's just one night. She's probably still mad. She'll get over it.

The next morning I realized the true meaning of the "cold shoulder". Bella ignored me when I greeted her with a simple good morning before she trudged over to the cooler for some breakfast. I watched her silently as she retrieved Tupperware filled to the brim with fruit and ate it without as much as a glance my way. Then she trudged back into the bedroom and slammed the door before I heard the shower come on.

I groaned. _When was this going to end?_

I decided to worry about Bella's moodswings later while I watched _The Phantom of the Opera. _Somehow the original movie always turns out to be better than the remake every time.

When Bella returned from the darkness, her hair was dripping and wet and she was wearing a red t-shirt and short black shorts, which seemed almost uncomfortable to walk in. Here was my chance.

"You can't possibly be comfortable in those shorts," I joked.

She didn't even acknowledge my existence by looking my way or smiling, let alone replying. She couldn't still be mad about yesterday, could she?

"Earth to Bella?" I asked, laughing anxiously.

Again, complete silence from my beloved Bella. This was getting to be a little irritating, so I was going to have to try harder to get her attention. I placed the tips of my forefinger and thumb into my mouth and blew, releasing a loud whistle that normally would have sparked some reaction from her. And yet, she remained expressionless and monotone, like a robot with no feelings.

"Bella," I murmured, standing up and silently making my way towards her. I murmured her name into her ear one more time, trying to make my voice sound sultry and seductive when I realized that my breath wasn't giving her goosebumps like it usually did. This was beginning to become irksome.

Irritated now, I appeared in front of her as she tried to walk out of the kitchen. She tried to get past me, but I sidestepped and blocked her way. Without even moving a single muscle on her face, she simply ducked underneath my arm and walked past me silently, the only audible sound was her footsteps as she went back into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

What on Earth was she doing in there all that time anyways? And how did she stay so quiet? I decided it was time to peek inside to get a glimpse of what my dear fiance was doing secluded in a beach house bedroom. Silently, I tiptoed over to do some spying. As soon as the door was opened just enough for me to have a quick glance, a hardback copy of The Holy Bible (Yes, you read right, the _Bible_) came hurtling towards the door and left an ugly mark.

"Bella!" I scolded, entering the room despite her lack of permission. I gathered up the innocent bible and showed it to my angry, thoughtless fiance. "Do you realize what book you just heaved at me in your carlessness?"

She was hesitant to answer at first, but then she snapped, "God is a forgiving God. He knows that I didn't mean anything but to knock my arrogant fiance's head off his shoulders."

Suddenly I satisfied the urge to vault across the room onto Bella's bed and wrap my arms around her. She looked terrified of my insane reaction and became stiff as a board while I hugged her tight.

"What?" I asked, feeling hurt by her response to my closeness.

"I just threw a bible at you! And then I called you arrogant! And as punishment, you _hug_ me?" she demanded angrily.

I shrugged. "I missed the sound of your voice." That seemed like a pretty innocent answer, perfectly worthy of leaping across the room and embracing your soon-to-be spouse, right?

"You are completely _infuriating_!" she exclaimed suddenly. I could feel her blood boiling in her veins as if her emotions were going to cause her own explosion.

"What did I do?" I asked, not understanding this new reaction.

"I'm trying to avoid and ignore you all morning, and you reward me with a hug? Why aren't you mad?!" she demanded furiously. Okay, I must have missed something in the past hundred and seven years in observing humans, because none of them seemed to react as insane as this!

"Because I love you?" I tried, hoping that would stop the madness.

She groaned and fell back onto the mattress, still upset, but getting calmer by the second. "I guess I love you too?"

"You guess?" I asked skeptically.

"Okay, I do," she grumbled, sitting up. "I love you, and I admit it! There, are you happy?!"

I took her hands and smiled at her. "Yes. Very."

And then I kissed her. I could taste the warmth in her body as her tongue caressed mine and I could feel her blood running through her veins back to her beating heart, which was beating and pulsing with love for me. _And love for that mutt. _I thought angrily. Maybe the thought of that awful _dog_ Jacob Black shouldn't have been crossing my mind at the same time I was kissing the girl I love, because suddenly I became disgusted and pulled away.

"What?" she asked self-consciously. I knew she probably thought it was her; probably thinking her breath smelled bad or she was a bad kisser. My Bella. My sweet, naïve Bella.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I lied.

"You're lying," she accused. _Okay, that didn't go as planned._

"Tell me," she begged, leaning in close to gaze at me longingly with her beautiful brown eyes, that were unknowingly convincing me to want to do _much more_ than just confess my hatred of her beloved Jacob.

"I was thinking about Alice," I lied again, hoping this time my deceitful being would prevail.

"What about her?" she asked warily. Success! Lie number two worked!

Reluctantly, I thought of Alice's vision on our wedding day. "Alice told you about her vision on our wedding day, correct?"

She nodded, and I noticed her eyes became sad now.

"Bella," I murmured. She looked up, but her eyes were growing a heartbreaking shine of impending tears, and instantly I felt like a jackass for bringing this up. "Bella, I don't blame you for something that hasn't happened yet."

She bit her lip. "It could still happen, Edward."

"Did she tell you who it was?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head. "Alice doesn't know. What does it matter anyways?" And when her voice broke on 'anyways' my dead heart broke as well. Now instead of being determined to hear her voice, it was her smile that I desired.

"I could break their jaw if I knew who they were. They couldn't kiss you if they tried," I joked, nudging her playfully. She giggled, but it didn't satisfy me as much as I'd hoped.

"Edward, I want to be the last one that breaks your heart," she said.

"You haven't broken my heart, Bella, just made me realize I had one," I murmured. As she leaned towards me, I made sure it was soft and comforting, just enough to show what I meant without seeming desperate.

She smiled as I leaned away from her, and I was dazed by the taste she left in my mouth. Sweet like honey and warm like cinnamon, foods I hadn't tasted in over a decade. I must have still appeared dazed because she snapped her fingers in my face.

"Edward?" she asked, laughing anxiously.

What was wrong with me? Usually it's Bella who will fall into a vegetative state after experiencing a kiss with _me,_ but this was just absurd! Since when did I act like a lovesick puppy? I was going to snap out of it, and right at this instant!

But somehow I couldn't. It was like every trick I had ever used on Bella was being turned around and thrown towards me. It was unfair, it was unjust, it was just plain cruel! And yet, it felt like it was exactly what I deserved. There's karma for you.

I finally did snap out of my temporary state of shock. Bella looked concerned.

"You dazzled me," I accused quietly.

She looked shocked. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Who else is there?" I demanded.

"What are you getting mad at me for? If I did dazzle you, it was purely by accident!" she insisted.

I shook my head while I said, "If only you knew how that felt!"

She looked at me as if I were a mentally retarded child.

"Regardless," I said hurriedly, determined to fix my careless accusation, "that was a cruel thing to do."

"What was?" she demanded, getting annoyed now.

"Dazzling me like that," I replied, reluctant to admit she had power over me. She looked at me skeptically at first, then laughed. I bristled at her reaction; this was no joke! Dazzling was an advantage that I possessed solely for the sake of my own well being, not something that was supposed to backfire on me!

"Look at how flustered you are!" she exclaimed between giggles. "You're getting worked up over the exact same thing you do to me frequently!"

"I'm not!" I insisted, but I knew I was lying between my teeth.

"Fine," she said simply, wanting to avoid an unnecessary argument.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face the wall. "Does it feel like that all the time?" I asked. Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "The dazzling thing," I clarified.

She laughed. "Yes, the only difference is that you can hear my heartbeat."

I smiled and whispered, "I love the sound of your heartbeat."

I knew the weather for the rest of the weekend was going to be stormy and unpleasant, especially for my breakable Bella. Now there was an excuse for a nice weekend alone with just the girl I love. Just as I was thinking about Bella, she scooted towards me and placed her head under my neck, against my chest, where I wrapped my arms around her.

We sat wrapped up in each other for long, countless hours until she sprang to life and suggested a walk down to the beach. Right on cue, a large thunderbolt struck near us and caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. I laughed.

"You're scared of thunder?" I asked mockingly.

She glowered at me. "No. It just startled me."

I leaned down and kissed her neck softly before I buried my face in her hair. Her breathing slowed down as my lips traced across her skin, which made goosebumps spread all over her pallid skin.

"I'll protect you from the thunder," I murmured. "I can't guarantee you'll be safe with me, though."

She smiled. "I feel safer than ever."

"Good," I whispered, and hugged her tight like I never wanted to let go of her. And I didn't, because she is the love of my life, the sole reason for my existence. The one thing I look forward to each and every day while I sit by my piano and play her song is the sweet aroma that wafts off her chocolate brown locks of hair as I lean down to bury my face in her neck.

"I love you," I murmured into her ear. My breath tickled her ear and she giggled.

"I love you, too," she said back.

"And I will always love you, even if your skin is red as a beet," I whispered. Her jaw dropped in disbelief and she lightly cuffed me on the shoulder, although it did more damage to her than myself.

Then she sighed, enjoying the moment, and collapsed into my arms again. It was still daytime, yet she was drifting into sleep. I sat patiently and stayed with her, just thinking about the sound of her heartbeat and imagining what like as a married couple will be like.

Suddenly I could hear a distant voice in my head. Somebody was coming closer, and their voice was familiar. _"I know they're here somewhere, and I will find her. When I get my hands on that bloodsucker, I will tear him limb from limb!" _the voice snarled. I'd like to see him try. _"I wouldn't be surprised if Bella's already a vampire. I can smell them, all up and down the beach. They were here, and they were supposed to be. I'll make sure they're aware of the broken treaty."_

This was going to be interesting as my good friend Jacob visits.

Jacob began to beat on the door before I heard a sickening crack and I was aware the door was broken. Somehow Bella remained asleep in the midst of all this noise. I slid out from under her and left her on the bed, watching her as she snuggled into the place I left and getting comfortable.

"Jacob," I hissed. He was in the kitchen area, searching for us. He looked up, an angry glare plastered on his dark-skinned face.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Hello to you, too," I muttered.

He sneered. "I said, where is she?"

"She's asleep, so you'd best leave," I said calmly, even though I was resisting the urge to spring across the room and on top of him to silence him once and for all for the sake and well-being of my beautiful Bella. My beautiful Bella who has no taste in friends.

"Not a chance," he grumbled. "I'm staying here."

"No you are not!" I exclaimed, horrified by the thought.

He smiled at my reaction. "I'm staying in the room next to yours."

"Leave, Jacob Black, before I get angry," I warned. I was quite aware he would ignore my threat, and I would mention how it would be wasting my breath but breathing is not necessary so that saying does not apply to me.

"Let me see Bella," he reasoned.

"Give me one reason why I should."

He smiled humorlessly. "You can see every reason in my head."

And suddenly there they were. Images of him and Bella together in his mind, the horrible thoughts floating around as if they were so familiar he knew them like the back of his hand. Those fantasies swirling around daily while Bella, _my _Bella, stood unaware of his perverted desires.

"I could kill you right now," I snarled.

He laughed as if the thought was too impossible to even imagine. Oh, did he have something coming. "You don't scare me, prettyboy," he said.

A loud snarl erupted from my diaphragm, and it was loud enough to wake the dead. I wasn't surprised when Bella came bounding in, unaware of the situation at hand, and looked shocked at her friend's presence.

"Jacob?" she asked incredulously. Suddenly Jacob smiled and stopped bristling towards me while Bella ran into his arms. I could see he was enjoying Bella's gesture much more than she was.

"Hey, Bella," he said into her hair. Great, now it would smell like dog breath tonight. Hopefully I could force her to shower before crawling into bed with me present. Yuck.

I grimaced as they talked about everything from every end of the spectrum, but I stayed beside Bella and silently judged her worthless dog friend.

"Heather can't wait," he admitted.

"You can," I muttered under my breath, too low for Bella to hear. I doubted that Jacob was oblivious to what I just said, though, and I was sure he wasn't when he rose from his chair with an angry, hateful expression on his face directed towards me.

"What was that?" he asked in a low, deep voice meant to scare me. I'm shaking.

"You heard me," I replied simply.

I must say, keeping a Carlisle-level-headed attitude in an argument with this werewolf was much more enjoyable than anyone else had ever let on. His buttons were just so easily pushed.

"Edward, Jacob, stop it!" Bella urged, attempting to push us both apart. Her efforts were futile, and the two of us glowered at eachother uninterrupted while Bella groaned in defeat and plopped down on a chair near her.

I was shocked when Jacob's fist flew out towards my face. It didn't touch me, of course, not even close, but the intention was enough to make me seethingly angry.

"_Leave, _werewolf," I growled. He laughed, but didn't move again.

"Guys," Bella began in a reproving tone. She got angry as she realized we were ignoring her, so she shouted, "GUYS!"

We both looked away from eachother and towards an impatient Bella, while she prepared her speech. "Jacob, what did you come for? To see me, or just provoke Edward? Because to me it seems like the latter."

_If only she knew what he _really_ wanted from her. _Oh, the thought.

"I wanted to see you," he lied.

I snorted, and he glared at me again. "He wants something else to do with seeing you, Bella, if you get what I mean," I said, laughing dryly.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Get out, Jacob!"

His eyes grew pained and hurt. "Please, Bella, don't listen to him!"

"No! You're the liar! I believe Edward because I love him! Why did you even come here? To see if I would take you instead? Well, newsflash! You're too little too late, just go back to Heather and live a life that doesn't involve _me_!" she exploded, placing her hands on his chest and attempting to push him away from her violently. It didn't work, but the intent was clear.

He stood silently, with his eyes facing the ground.

"Well?" she demanded.

"I'm leaving," he said finally. We waited for him to elaborate. "Have a nice life." When he turned to me, his eyes no longer burned with hatred. "Take care of her for me."

I nodded simply. Just then, I saw a vision with the truth. The _real_ truth, and not what he had been trying to cover up by his visions of Bella. Oh, how wrong I was.

"Bye, Bella," he said quietly. Bella simply turned and walked away, down the hall and back into her room. He walked out, leaving the remaining chunks of door behind him without so much as another look back. And that was the last I heard of Jacob Black.

I joined Bella in the bedroom, where she was waiting angrily.

"Can you believe him?" she demanded, the question obviously rhetorical.

I sat down next to her on the bed. "I'm not sure."

"What?" she asked softly, not understanding me.

"All this time, he's been covering things up. He's a tricky one, that Jacob Black," I explained, hoping she would comprehend what I was hinting at.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, a hint of distress straining her beautiful voice. Her eyebrows were pulled together in confusion as her brown eyes studied me questioningly.

"He never imprinted," I admitted.

**Wow, that was a really long one! I guess I just got carried away because writing from Edward's POV was pretty fun. Anyways, I left ya with a CLIFFY!! Lol, hope you enjoyed that. Whoa, that was 8 pages. No wonder it took me a few days. Anyways, this weekend is busy for me so I don't know if I have any time to write more. Tell me if you want more Edward's POV or Bella's POV and don't forget to review anyways. (PS: I might to Jacob's POV, so tell me what you want!)**


	23. Confessions

Chapter 23: Confessions

"What?" I demanded as soon as Edward admitted Jacob's little secret about not imprinting.

His eyes met mine. "He made it seem like he imprinted when he was lying the whole time! He knew I would be reading his thoughts so he purposely made the whole thing up!"

My jaw dropped. "Why on Earth would he do that?"

"He still loves you, Bella. He thought if it seemed like he moved on, then you wouldn't worry about him anymore," Edward explained.

"Edward, what do I do?" I asked frantically, tugging on his arm.

"Whatever you feel is necessary," he replied.

"That doesn't help me!" I exclaimed, dropping his arm and getting up to pace around the room. He watched me as I strode around the room before I collapsed in defeat on the bed. He chuckled.

"What's wrong?" he murmured.

I groaned. "Why me?"

He didn't answer, he just sat silently and remained lost in thought. I knew he had an idea when he sprang up from the bed, took my hand in his, and led me into the kitchen. On the counter was a note.

_Edward: By now you know my secret. I never imprinted on Hannah. I asked her to help me out just as a friend, and I do love her. Not the way I've felt about Bella, it's much different than that. It's definetely not the love imprinting brings. Bella probably thinks this is going to be as bad as Sam and Leah, but I know it won't. I already met the love of my life, and I've blown my chances more than once. Tell Bella I still love her, but there's nothings else I can do. I screwed up, okay? And you won. I sincerely hope you're happy with Bella, because it's too bad I can't be. Jacob._

By the fifth sentence of Jacob's note, tears were dripping down my face and smudging the ink of Jacob's heartbreaking words.

"He can't marry her if he doesn't really love her," I whispered.

Edward stayed silent, but I could see that Jacob's words had affected him, too. I hugged him tight and ruined his shirt with my tears while he folded up the note and threw it back onto the counter.

"There's nothing else you can do, Bella," he murmured.

I shook my head and burrowed deeper into his shoulder.

"I know what you need," Edward said.

I looked up and sniffled. The sight of my puffy eyes and red nose changed his facial expression a little, but he still maintained a smile and led me outside. He took me on the sand, squeezing my hand a little as we walked together on the shore.

"So where are you taking me?" I asked while I swung our intertwined hands back and forth. He smiled down at me.

"I'm taking you on a romantic walk down the beach," he replied.

I chuckled. "I can see the walking part. Where's the romance?"

He glanced at me for a quick second before his face was instantly just inches away from mine, and his golden eyes were staring into mine, studying me silently before his lips pressed against mine cautiously.

I began to kiss him back.

He smiled and pressed his lips against mine with a little extra force before I felt his tongue lick my bottom lip slowly. I giggled a little and granted his tongue entrance into my mouth, where it met mine with surprising harmony. Still kissing, we ended up on the sand, laughing. I curled up onto him until I was straddling him, and we kissed some more.

"This week is going to go at a snail pace," I muttered.

He laughed. "Your last week as a human, and you're upset. You should be enjoying it," he said, smiling as he fingered the little shell heart charm that was attached to the string around my neck.

"Trust me, I am enjoying this." I kissed him again.

"Stop that," he said playfully.

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "What?"

"Kissing me," he replied, smiling crookedly. "It's very addictive."

"Likewise." I leaned down and pecked his lips again, just to bug him. He wasn't joking when he kissed me harder this time with a shocking hunger. He ended up on top of me, pinning me down in a pleasurable prison.

"Mmm," I mumbled, caressing his tongue with mine.

Edward's lips left mine, and I huffed like a baby. I wanted him to glue his lips to mine so they would never leave me again. His lips trailed soft butterfly kisses down my neck, leaving my skin tingling. His hands gracefully moved towards my jacket and began unzipping it, and he continued kissing my skin.

In the center of my chest, he kissed me with exaggerated lethargy and then laid his head down, sighing.

"What's wrong?" I asked, running my fingers through his perfectly messy hair. He looked up quickly, then closed his eyes.

"You're so delicious," he murmured. Normally, the idea of my boyfriend telling me how ripe I am for the picking would send shivers down my spine, but I shrugged it off.

I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"I wish I could hear what you dream about," I whispered.

"I wish I could dream," he said.

I laid back and enjoyed the moment while Edward's words floated around in my head. _Your last week as a human. You should be enjoying it. _Another thought bubbled into my head. What if my last week as a human meant my last week as myself? I wasn't sure if I wanted to change into something that initially scared me. While I was lost in thought, I never noticed when he stood up and reached his hand out to me to help me off the sand.

While I was still unaware, he snapped his pale fingers in my face.

"I have something to confess," we both said simultaneously. I eyed him, confused, but he motioned for me to go first.

"No, no, you go first," I insisted.

"You," he said firmly.

I shook my head. "You spill first!"

"Same time," he reasoned.

I nodded and gulped anxiously before I blurted, "I don't want to become a vampire!" at the same time he exclaimed, "I won't marry you until you talk to Jacob!"

My eyes widened, and I clamped my hand over my mouth, shocked at my own words and of course, his.

"You won't marry me...?" my voice trailed off as I contemplated what he just said, teetering around before nearly collapsing onto the sand. He caught my arm and righted me, his expression serious and deadly

"You don't want to become a vampire?" he asked.

I blinked and composed my thoughts, choosing each word carefully before they escaped from my lips. Lately I haven't been trusting myself to say the right thing. "Conditionally," I finally said.

"Meaning?" he pressed.

"I don't want to be a vampire directly after we're married. I want to sleep with you first before you change me," I explained. He piched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes, exhaling deeply.

"I can't, Bella," he finally said, his voice quiet. "I'll hurt you."

I wrapped his hands in mine. "Please, Edward."

"I can't bear to hurt you," he explained, squeezing my hands. "If I were to hurt you badly due to something that should be an act of love, I don't know how I could live with myself. Bella, I can't. I just can't."

I decided to drop the subject for later. "Why is Jacob wrapped up in our wedding?"

Edward's eyes met mine. "I can't let you do this to him."

I raised my eyebrows, expecting him to supply a different reason.

"I won't let you do this to yourself, either," he added. "You and I both know that it tears you up inside to hurt him. Losing him completely would probably kill you."

I shook my head hotly, opening my mouth to protest, but deep down I knew he was right.

"I can't do it, Edward," I insisted.

"Why?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

I shrugged. "He's done too much to my heart already, and seeing him again will just break my heart again. I can't do that to him a week before my wedding, because then what else will happen? I don't want those feelings to flood back into me again!" By the end of my performance, I was near tears.

"It's okay, Bella," Edward murmured, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"No, it's really not. Because I can't let myself do that again," I insisted.

"How about we worry about this later, and just enjoy ourselves now?" he suggested, smiling slightly. I was yearning for Jasper's ability to calm me down right about now, because I wanted nothing but a chance to simmer down.

"I won't forget this," I pointed out.

"I know," he mumbled as he stood up and held his hand out for me. Just as I was on my feet, I felt small, cool raindrops begin to trickle down onto my skin. I looked up to the sky and into the dark raincloud that symbolized an impending storm.

The raindrops began to increase in size and fell faster onto my skin, beginning to soak my clothes. I could feel my shirt sticking to my skin and I glanced at Edward, whose hair was glistening with the raindrops.

He smiled at me as the rain pelted us with increasing speed. I could see the beads of water on the tips of my eyelashes as I closed the distance between Edward and me. He smiled before his lips met mine and we kissed for what seemed like endless hours. The rain began plummeting sideways in powerful sheets just as Edward hitched my legs around him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself tighter on him, never stopping for a breather.

Edward carried me all the way back inside, and he pinned me against the wall, exploring my mouth with his lips and tongue.

"I love you," he reminded me, the words muffled by our neverending kissing. I resisted the urge to moan simply out of pleasure. One of his hands was low on my hip, which made my already frigid skin tingle even more.

"Edward," I finally whispered.

"Mm?" he asked, nuzzling my neck with his lips. I was shaking, and I could feel my pulse in between my legs. He was probably aware of the urges running through my body, because he kissed me deeply again.

"Bella, one week," he reminded me.

"I can't wait," I muttered.

He chuckled. "It's the hardest thing to do."

"Will it be special?" I asked, although I knew he wouldn't be aware of that. The subject of our chastity wasn't mentioned frequently, but we were both aware of our virginity.

"I'm not really sure. But if it's with you I'm sure it will be scintillating," he replied, kissing me softly and tenderly before letting go of my legs, which were asleep. I began to lose my balance and almost became one with the floor before Edward's arms caught me and held me securely.

"Thanks," I said, sighing in relief.

"I've lost count of how many times I've prevented any kind of minor damage on your body." He laughed.

"Ha ha," I grumbled.

"You're clumsy to everyone else," he informed me, setting me down on our unmade bed. "But in my eyes you're perfect."

"I love you," I said, reaching over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you more," he teased.

I raised my eyebrows. "Call it even?"

"Nope, you just can't beat the burning intensity I have in my heart." He shook his head, grinning playfully.

"Yeah, I bet," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Go to sleep, Bella," he said.

"Yes, sir!" I mock saluted him and he began to tuck me in. Five minutes later, I was thoroughly coccooned in my blanket, and I was attempting to thrash and kick with no luck.

"Edward!" I shouted.

"Hmm?" he asked, glancing up much too innocently from his book.

My eyes narrowed. "When I get out of this, I'm going to drive a stake through your heart!"

He laughed loudly. "I'd love to see that!"

"Free me and enjoy the show," I said icily.

"Not gonna happen," he said, grinning as if he had just succeeded in giving the President of the United States a wedgie and escaped Secret Security.

"Chicken!" I taunted.

He remained unfazed.

"Vampire chicken!" I goaded.

"Ooh, harsh!" he said, his biting sarcasm infuriating.

"Bite me!" I snapped. I finally began rolling around on the bed before the covers gave way and I ended up falling on my gluteus. By the time I had gotten to my feet and the stream of profanities had stopped coming out of my mouth, I realized that Edward's face was only about an inch away from mine.

"I'd love to," he murmured, leaning over to get my lips acquainted with his.

"Edward," I whispered, our lips just barely touching. His fingers trailed down my side, sending goosebumps all over every inch of skin on my body. His hand halted on my hip, and I pressed my lips against his forcefully. He returned the favor, giving me one hundred percent in every move he made.

"Bella..." he moaned, his lips in perfect unison with mine.

"I know, Edward!" I said, exasperated as I pulled away and paced around the room. He met me in mid-pace, grabbed my hands, and stopped me.

"Bella, calm down," he urged.

"I can't," I huffed, sitting down on my butt in defeat.

He plopped down on the floor next to me. "Stop worrying about everything, and just think about right now," he murmured, leaning in closer with every word, his breath fanning out in my face. His hungry lips shocked me, but I met them with equal desperation. If I was going to kill myself with suspense, I might as well try to occupy every second with as much distraction as possible.

Edward's body leaned over onto mine more with every second, so much so that he was fully splayed on top of me. I was gasping for breath, my eyes wide with shock, and Edward trailed slow kisses down my neck.

"Get some sleep, Bella," he said, kissing my cheek one last time. "Argue with me in the morning."

"You bet," I said, smiling playfully. He ignored me, but I could tell he was smiling, even in the dark.

**I am so so so so so sorry about the delay. It's been a month, I think. I've been so busy with schoolwork and the play and my friends and soon graduation and stuff so again I apologize. I hope you guys aren't mad, but here is another chapter that took forever...Please review and don't hate me!**


	24. Distance

Chapter 24: Distance

The rain was like a lullaby, causing me to drift into a deep sleep. And with the knowledge of Edward's presence next to me, I had a very strong sense of security, and I ended up sleeping until noon.

"Oh my gosh!" I cried, sitting up abruptly.

"Bella?" Edward called from the kitchen.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. By the time I had opened them, he was in the room, beside the bed.

"I figured you would rather sleep before we have to leave," he replied, taking a seat down next to me and handing me a glass of hot chocolate. I held it in between my palms and the steam wafting above the choclatey drink smelled delicious. I raised the mug to my lips, but I deliberated before taking a sip.

"Don't--" he began, but my tongue had already been scalded.

"Thanks," I muttered, uselessly fanning my hand towards my tongue and panting. Edward just winced and shrugged before he stood up and left the room. I untangled my limbs from the blanket I had been previously cocooned in and followed after Edward.

"Is your tongue okay?" he asked, sounding distant.

I nodded, but I figured he was too lost in thought to care.

"Edward?" I called. He immediately snapped out of it and looked at me, but his eyes looked...empty. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he replied. He supplied me with a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. It looked like a smile only shown so I would get off his back, and if he was unaware that I realized this, then my fiance is a moron.

"Really?" I raised one eyebrow suspiciously, sat down on a stool next to a countertop where I placed my mug, and warmed my hands around the sides. "'Cause you seem distracted."

"I'm okay, Bella," his eyes met mine again, but they looked emotionless. "Trust me."

I rolled my eyes, not caring if he noticed, and took another sip of my hot chocolate. Something was wrong, and he was going to tell me eventually.

"Bella, tell me what you think is wrong," he ordered after a long, awkward silence. I looked him right in the eyes skeptically, but he didn't seem to budge. I sighed, set my mug down with a little more force than was necessary, and shimmied off my stool to stand closer to him.

"Honestly, I think you're having doubts," I admitted.

He looked at me with an infuriatingly calm expression on his gorgeous face. "You're wrong, Bella."

I threw my hands down at my sides in anger. "Then what _is_ wrong?" I demanded. "Why don't you make things a little less aggravating, and just tell me?"

His marble face remained calm, but his lips twitched as if restraining laughter at my reaction. God, I wished a smack would inflict pain on him.

"I have a proposition for you," he said coolly.

"And...?" I pressed.

He sighed. "I think we should spend the next days before the wedding separated from eachother so we don't inflict any..." he stopped, searching for the right word, "urges on eachother."

"You want to split up?" I could hear my own voice crack in weakness and I squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears from leaking out. My attempts were useless, though, and I could feel hot tears stream slowly from my eyes.

"Bella, don't take this the wrong way," he begged, coming close to me to wipe my tears away. I turned my face in the opposite direction from him and my hair swept over my face, letting me cry uninterrupted. "Nothing's going to change between us. I still love you more than ever."

I sniffed and decided that staying quiet would be better than firing accusations at him.

"Please, just trust me on this, Bella," he pleaded. "The wedding is still August 13th."

I wanted so badly to smash something over his head, but I figured it wouldn't faze him whatsoever, so I resorted to stomping back into the room and slamming the door behind me, not bothering to look back.

Sure, he promised nothing's changed.

But what does it mean that he doesn't trust our restraint enough to spend the next few days leading up to our wedding together? What does that say?

I knew any second there would be a faint tapping at the door, and he would want to come in, and I greatly wished I still had my mug to hurl at him when he tried to check up on me. Besides property damage, the only other thing I felt like doing was screaming things at the top of my lungs.

Right on cue, Edward knocked on the door.

"Bella?" he called.

_Piss off, _I thought, but then regretted it. How could I be thinking that about my fiance, even if he had just suggested we separate?

"What?" I asked sharply, secretly thanking God that my voice didn't break.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Why in _hell_ would I be okay?!" I demanded angrily.

He didn't reply, and he didn't knock again. This was probably Jacob's fault. God damn wolf. He always has to ruin everything, doesn't he? I wish he was right in front of me right now so I could personally break every single one of his fingers and yell in his face.

Oh, if only.

* * *

Jacob's POV:

He cannot just stay away from her, can he? I mean, after they're married for a few years or something, I can understand if they want to spend some time apart, but _a week before the wedding_?

I was cursing myself for being so impulsive and stupid yesterday, and I wanted nothing else but to just hug Bella and tell her everything would be okay. Without looking back, I began to race down the shore before I did something I would regret in the future.

Staying out of Bella's life would be harder than watching her throw her life away. This next week I would have to disappear.

By the end of the shore, I began wading in the water until I was immersed up to my neck. I closed my eyes, sucked in a huge breath, and plummeted to the ocean floor. As soon as I was touching the ocean floor, I let out a large scream that I had been holding in for much too long.

Every feeling, every emotion of love and betrayal and jealousy I had been experiencing over the past few months spilled out of me while I was underwater, and I resisted the urge to just drown while I wallowed in my own misery.

But I knew that would be the easy way out, so I surfaced again, coughed water out of my lungs, and trudged back to the shore.

Back to reality.

* * *

Edward's POV:

This is completely necessary if this marriage is supposed to work. She thinks I have a huge brick wall standing in the way of my sexual desires, and in that subject she is horribly wrong. She is partly true in the sense that my mind isn't permanently set on sick fantasies about each girl I see like a normal human male's mind, but she is wrong in the sense that I do want very badly to have an intimate relationship with her.

She seems to think I have unflagging self-control!

And in that sense, she is more wrong than she has ever been in her life. True, her blood sings to me, but that doesn't mean her body doesn't. I want so badly the same ecstasy she desires, especially whenever she attempts seduction.

That fool Jacob Black has his mind set on Bella twenty-four-seven. Most of the time he is concerned about my hurting Bella during intercourse. This is something that haunts my mind as well.

I do not plan on hurting Bella intentionally, that is completely ridiculous. It's just not something I want to be completely blasé about, since she is the woman I love. For some reason, this thought hasn't crossed her mind, and she thinks the only reason I don't want to jump her bones right this second is because I don't love her.

Wrong.

I am now sitting outside the bedroom she has been occupying for the last twenty minutes. And in those twenty minutes, I have never felt more like a jackass. Here Bella is crying, thinking I don't love her because I want to spend some time away from her in order to control my sexual desires, and I am at a loss of words while I contemplate what that strange dog Jacob Black is considering.

Does he think I can't see that he was thinking about drowning himself while he was underwater? He's insane!

I grabbed a towel from the counter and raced down the shore to where the idiotic Jacob Black was emptying water from his lungs. I crouched down next to him and held the towel out to him, but he just stared at it.

"The towel won't bite," I said calmly.

He glared up at me, but the fire in his eyes was extinguished as he reached out and took the towel from my hand and began to dry himself with it. It wasn't much, but it was more than what most people would give to him if he treated them the way he treated me.

"You don't have to help me," he choked out. The more he coughed and heaved, the more water came out. I winced as he emptied his stomach behind a large rock.

"I want to help you," I admitted, shocked by my own words.

"Why?" he asked, his voice huskier than usual before he coughed again.

"Bella needs you, more than she would like to admit," I said reluctantly, refusing to look him in the eye. My gaze was glued at the sand beneath me.

He stood up slowly and handed the towel back to me.

"Thanks, but no thanks. The last thing Bella wants right now is me," he muttered. I rolled my eyes and felt my exasperation growing.

"Are you trying to tell me that you can believe half the things Bella says?" I demanded, raising a criticizing eyebrow at him.

He challenged me with his eyes. "I believe Bella when she says she loves you more than me. What's to challenge about that?"

"She says she wants me to change her into a vampire, and yet one look at her can immediately tell you she is terrified. And why wouldn't she be?" I said, and I realized I was talking to myself.

"Bella is stubborn and strong. She is sure of lots of things. You know she is sure that she wants a life forever with you, no matter what it takes," he explained, a firm sense of faith in his voice.

"Regardless," I said rigidly. "I want your presence at the wedding."

"She doesn't," he muttered.

"I know what she wants, and your attendance is something she wants," I insisted. He shook his head in defiance, but I wouldn't hear it.

"Listen," I began, clutching his shirt in my hands to get close in his face, "Bella loves you. We both know that. She may not love you more than she loves me, but it's pretty damn obvious she is attracted to you, and if you aren't aware of that than you must be a damn fool. One thing I am sure of that will break her heart is the knowledge that you don't love her enough to watch her get married. So let me make this clear; if your ass is not seated in one of those pews on August thirteenth, I will take care of you _personally._ Understand?" I demanded.

His eyes narrowed as he looked me in the eyes, but he nodded stiffly. I released his shirt and began to walk away when I heard him say some shocking words to my back.

I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or not, but it seemed like I was.

I think it was because I heard Jacob Black say, "Thank you."

**

* * *

**

Guess what glorious events are happening this week? FINAL EXAMS!! Yay! Not. And then on Friday, we have our Awards Ceremony, and later that day is our Graduation dance! I'm excited. Then on Saturday, I have a Graduation party to attend. Long story short, these past few weeks were fun and I've gotten a tan at my friend's beach party and also at Disney on Thursday and I had so much fun. I will be graduating on May 13th it was going to go so smoothly and now there's a slight problem...My dumb dog shredded my graduation cap. Wow, I was so ready to murder her. I will have to do lots of begging, and hopefully I will be able to get my hands on a yellow Class of 2008 graduation cap...But anyways, hope you enjoyed the latest installment of Solstice! I know some of you out there hate Jacob and all, but put yourself in his shoes and try not to hate me for this. Just keep reading and review, please!


	25. Revenge

Chapter 25: Revenge

Bella's POV:

The ride home was...what's the word?

Awkward.

We didn't say anything besides words of common courtesy, like "Please" and "Thank you," and every question asked would be quick and polite, but not genuine like you would think it would be. It's just like one of those moments where you feel uncomfortably foreign.

It's even stranger considering this is my fiance.

"Bella?" Edward asked, sounding perfectly polite.

"Hmm," I mumbled rudely.

"Would you mind getting your feet off my dashboard?" he said. I met his eyes for a second as if he had just asked me to hold a live grenade for him and studied him critically.

"Gee, lemme think," I said loudly. "Yes, I would mind!"

His gaze shifted back to the road, and he didn't say another word after that. He dropped me off at my house and I dragged my feet off his dashboard with exaggerated slowness, unbuckled my seatbelt, and opened the passenger door. I could feel his eyes on me, judging every move I made silently as I stepped out of his car and turned, smiled unsincerely, and then slammed the door with all my might.

My intent was to slam the door dramatically and then storm up my driveway, sweep onto the porch, unlock the door hurriedly and gracefully, and then walk into my house theatrically and close the door. What actually happened was that I slammed the door shut, ran up the driveway while nearly tripping over my two left feet, fumbled with my keys in my pocket while I stumbled onto the porch, and then resulted in dropping the keys at my feet where they slipped through a crevice in the wood, and finally I exploded in a long stream of profanities.

When I was done, I leaned my back onto the wall of my house and slid down until I was sitting. Then I hugged my knees to my chest, buried my face in my knees, and cried.

I knew that when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder that I would never hear the end of this.

"Go away," I said, sniffling. I knew what I sounded like; a pre-pubescant brat, and I didn't care. I wanted nothing else but to put on my fleece pajamas and curl up in my bed with nobody else but two of my favorite men: Ben and Jerry.

"Bella," Edward murmured.

I looked up, instantly regretted it, and then exploded in more sobs. His facial expression was heartbreaking. I had imagined his eyes to be amused and the corners of his lips to be twitching, as if restraining a laugh. But instead, he looked torn and miserable. His eyes looked pained, and his face crumpled at the sight of my swollen eyes and red nose.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice horribly muffled by my legs.

"Because you need someone," he replied simply.

"Why you?" my tone sharpened a little, but it didn't faze him.

"No matter what stupid thing comes out of my mouth, I don't want you to ever think I've stopped loving you," he insisted. I met his gaze again, and his eyes were intense and burning.

"What was I supposed to think?" I demanded. "That we were just going through a 'rough patch'?"

He looked unsure, but he finally nodded.

"Oh, Edward!" I cried, exasperated beyond belief. "I am so sick of this! It seems like all we ever do is argue, and then when we make up it's all peachy keen, but wouldn't it have been so much better if we had just avoided the argument in the first place? But instead, you decide it's better if we stop speaking altogether, and the mere thought of touching your fiance or having sexual urges about them is ludicrous--you're wrong!"

When I was done, his eyes were glassy and his face was hard as stone.

"When I said that, I only had your best intentions in mind. I wanted that for your own good," he said coldly.

"Oh, right, so making me think that you're having cold feet would be good for me?!" I demanded, losing my temper altogether.

"I can't help what goes through your head." His voice remained infuriatingly calm. He had been learning way too much from Carlisle.

"Oh, stick it!" I shouted. "How long have you been planning to keep this level-headedness with me before I realize it's all a big charade? Everybody knows you're not perfect, Edward, so you can stop acting like it! It's completely normal for us to feel the way we do, Edward, but you just want to take a shortcut so you can feel like you took the high road! Personally, I don't think you've done anything high and mighty, I just think you're being a coward!"

My own bravery was coming as sort of a shock. If this was any other vampire and not Edward, I would have stopped a few outbursts ago. I suddenly felt like a moron for challenging the gallantry of a creature ten times more powerful than me, but that feeling disappeared as soon as I reminded myself that he still had human in him for me to taunt and criticize.

He deliberated for an agonizingly long time before saying, "What would you do if you were in my situation? Since I'm so flawed and I always make the wrong decisions, tell me what you think I should do!"

I inhaled, trying to gather my thoughts so I didn't sound moronic in the presence of a wise 107-year-old. "I want to be young and carefree and just bask in the glory of everything that we have. Our love isn't something I want to waste by acting like we're on the verge of a divorce."

"Bearing in mind that we're not married yet, it would be called an enullment," he pointed out. I glowered at him, and his ability to lighten even the worst of conversations.

"You're missing my point," I grumbled.

"No, I understand your point of view," he said softly, meeting my criticizing eyes. "Please don't look at me like that. I just want you to understand that I love you and I don't want to mess anything up by taking this too fast. I still think we should spend this week apart so we can prepare for our wedding, and then the result will be that much more special."

I groaned. "You can't expect me to enjoy being away from you."

"No, I won't be happy not spending the day with you. But I will be there during the night," he explained. This sparked some curiosity.

"Why?"

"I can't spend all that time away from you in order to ensure your safety when I change you. I will be there, just not tempting you." he shrugged.

"This is still a stupid idea," I muttered.

"No, sitting out here in the cold on your front porch is a stupid idea. Bella, please trust me on this. I think--no, I know this is best," he assured, reaching out his hand to help me up. As soon as I was on my feet, he wrapped his arms around me.

"I will be near, and we don't have to completely avoid eachother. Just nothing intimate until August fourteenth," he murmured, kissing the top of my head.

"I love you," I mumbled, enjoying his scent while I could.

"I love you, too," he whispered. I took a step back towards my door and he extended his hand out to me, my keys jingling in between his fingers.

"Thank you." I smiled as I took them.

"Good night," he said softly. He leaned into me, pressed his lips against mine, and we shared a nice kiss that reminded me of our early relationship. As he broke our bond, I bit my lip and smiled.

"Good night," I repeated.

"See you soon," he murmured as I closed the door behind me. And I believed him when he said he would see me soon, because he would watch over me all night. I raced up the stairs and changed into a t-shirt and my comfiest boxer shorts. I speedily washed my face and brushed my teeth before I crawled into bed and shimmied under the covers. I closed my eyes cautiously, unaware of when Edward would arrive.

After a few minutes of my eyes fluttering closed and then jerking back open, I grew restless. I groaned and sat up in bed, burying my face in my hands. When was he going to turn up?

As if he read my mind:

"I'm already here," he said from the rocking chair in the corner of my room. I jumped nearly a foot in the air and banged my head on my bedpost.

"Ouch," I muttered.

"Sorry about that," he said, smiling sympathetically.

I raised my eyebrows momentarily and snuggled back into the warmth of my bed. I heard his light footsteps come near my bed before a mysterious silence, and then his cold hand on my shoulder.

He leaned close to my ear before whispering, "Five days, Bella."

And I fell asleep at his cold touch and soothing voice.

In the morning, I inspected my house for his presence, but all I found was a groggy Charlie seated on a chair in the dining room.

"'Morning, dad," I muttered, a little melancholy after realizing Edward had disappeared already.

"Mmm," he grumbled as he poured coffee in his mug.

I trudged back and forth through the kitchen and living room. The day grew to be so monotonous I actually resorted to timing myself as I raced up and down the stairs. It turns out I am a much better stair descender than climber.

It was after I had beaten my record for stair climbing for the fifth time that I had realized that my social life without Edward was pathetic. I found solace in doing chores for a little while, but there are only so many times you can scrub dinner plates until they are declared clean. As a final option, I dialed Alice's number and begged her for something to do.

"Bella! I had a feeling you were going to call!" she squealed.

"Alice, help me!" I begged.

"Bella, do my ears deceive me, or are you begging to go shopping?" she asked sarcastically.

"Anything to take my mind off of you-know-who!" I clarified.

"Very well then, I'll pick you up in a few minutes," she said sweetly. Right as I was about to hang up, she called, "Oh Bella?"

"Yes?" I asked warily.

"Wear comfortable shoes," she advised, and then the line went dead. Oh, was I in for a day. I changed quickly into a t-shirt and some jeans I hadn't even gotten around to wearing since the transition into Forks weather. I was in the middle of tying my shoelaces on my tattered Nike sneakers when a familiar silver Volvo pulled up in my driveway and honked oh-so-ostentaciously.

I paced around nervously before I headed out into my driveway to face my utter destruction before I realized that Alice was alone in Edward's car and I was safe. I climbed into the passenger seat beside Alice and faced her unbearable perkiness with an uncomfortable smile.

"Alice, why did you steal Edward's car?" I asked.

"Because Emmett's Jeep is getting a tune up!" she answered with a vivacious smile.

"Is Edward aware of the fact that you are cruising around in his car?" I asked, a little more unease noticable in my voice.

"Let's just say that what Edward doesn't know won't hurt him," she resolved with a conversation-ending grin. I snorted and pretended like I didn't notice the glare shot my way from innocent little Alice.

"So what are we doing today?"

She grinned evilly. "Revenge."

My eyes went wide. "Did I miss something?"

"No, I wanted to spend some time with you to plan your revenge on my dearest brother," she explained, still smiling maniacally.

I nodded, still not comprehending the purpose for my fiance's demise. "Alice, I'm not interested," I said conclusively.

I had begun to fumble with the door handle when Alice cried, "Bella!" and her hand shot out to slam it closed. "Bella, after this whole 'separation' idea, you're telling me that revenge is the last thing on your mind?"

I contemplated that for a second. "Yeah, pretty much," I said matter-of-factly, and attempted my escape once more. Her hand snapped past me fast and yanked the door shut with more force.

"Let me make this clear: We are planning revenge against Edward whether you are willing or not!" she hissed.

I raised my hands in surrender, noting the fact that they were trembling. She flashed a sweet smile again and shifted the gear to reverse before turning out of my driveway and onto the road. With another turn of the gears, we were racing down my street, and I was clutching my seat wildly.

She glanced at me quickly before nearly having a heart attack and slamming the break, which ended in a painfully abrupt stop.

"What, Alice?!" I demanded, panting heavily.

"Seatbelt!" she replied, her tone questioning my sanity.

I stretched the seatbelt over me and clicked it in place before Alice began to accelerate again. I sighed and stared out my window as we passed a patch of green trees. My confusion began to grow as the color of the trees began to dull and grow more brown and lifeless.

"Alice, what happened to these trees?" I asked, pointing out to what was once probably bursting with life.

"There are lots of burned trees in this area, Bella," she explained simply, her eyes never leaving the road in front of her. "Every year there is a bonfire that goes out of control, and the results are deadly to the forest animals. Of course, nobody ever seems to care since the rain puts it out after a while."

"It's pretty sad," I muttered.

"Very," she confirmed.

I decided to change the subject. "So, Alice, what do you have in mind for this revenge thing?" I asked lightly.

"I have this idea that after you both take your vows and everything is said and done, we drop pigs' blood over his head!" she replied, laughing devilishly.

"Um, Alice, haven't you ever seen the ending of the movie Carrie?" I asked. She looked at me uncomprehendingly. "You know, the kids play a prank on a girl and she ends up winning prom queen and then they all spill pigs' blood over her head. And then she kills them all because they did that to her?"

She shook her head, her stare turning a little frightened, and then I shrugged it off. "Promise me no pigs' blood," I offered.

"Fine, we'll just do something else," she muttered.

"Why not just pour water over his head?" I suggested.

"Fair enough," she grumbled.

"This should be...exciting," I lied.

"Okay, Bella, just remember," she began, her eyes peeling off the road in order to fully get her message across, "after Edward kisses the bride; that's you, you have to make sure you step away so you do not get wet. Can you do it?"

I nodded, but I had a different objection. "Um, Alice? What about the small problem that Edward can read minds and he will see this coming?"

She grinned. "I found a way to block Edward's mind. Just trust me on this one."

"I trust you," I said.

"Okay. But just so you know, you have to make everything convincing, and don't show even a hint of anxiety, or he will know. You have to make sure that the kiss is passionate and you don't seem distracted at all, or you will blow it. You got it?" she asked.

I nodded, accepting the challenge.

This was going to be good.

**Okay, I studied all day for math and social studies exams and I feel like I will do pretty well on both. I will study again before bed, so I feel pretty good about this. I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and keep reading and reviewing!**


	26. Last Minute Plans

Chapter 26: Last Minute Plans

The next few days were uneventful and basic. Alice was always preoccupied with getting the wedding and prank perfect. Edward's visits were always short and polite, and on a good day they included a kiss. His distance made the gaping hole in my chest slowly reappear, no matter how many times I assured myself it was only for a few days. And, naturally, I didn't dream at all, like normal soon-to-be-brides would be on the week before their wedding day.

"Good night, Bella," he murmured on the day before the wedding.

Silence from my end.

"Are you asleep?" he asked quietly, heading over to the side of my bed.

I didn't answer him. I just closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"I know you're not asleep, Bella," he muttered.

I let out a heavy sigh in my "sleep".

"You're such a bad actress," he said between laughs. I felt him crawl under the covers beside me, and I was positive of his presence when I felt his cold, stone arms wrap around me protectively.

"Edward..." I began, but he cut me off.

"It's the eve of our wedding, Bella. Please just let me enjoy this," he murmured, burying his face in my hair. I opened my mouth to protest, but then felt stupid as I began to realize that I would be surrendering a chance to cuddle with my gorgeous fiance. I squirmed a little in his grip until I was comfortable enough to fall into a deep sleep.

I awoke on top of Edward with my head under his chin and my body sprawled on top of his. I tried to roll off him, but he held me in place.

"Sorry," I muttered, blinking a few times.

"It's fine," he said, smiling.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"Noon," he replied simply.

I shot out of bed so fast I nearly twisted my ankle on the floor. "Noon?!" I shrieked.

He chuckled. "Yep."

"Oh my gosh, there's still so much to arrange! Alice needs me to be at the church _right now _for the pre-wedding prep! She's going to skin me alive and I'm not even dressed yet and my hair looks like a large pile of crap!" The words spilled out of my mouth so fast I could barely understand myself and by the end of my nervous breakdown I was on the verge of hyperventilation.

"Bella, calm yourself!" Edward shouted, grabbing my wrists in his hands. The cool temperature of his skin was enough to soothe me instantly.

I sighed heavily and sat down on the bed.

"Go get ready and I'll be waiting to take you to the church," he said calmly before he strutted to the door and closed it behind him.

I sighed again and then raced to my dresser to search for a pair of my comfiest jeans. After digging for a few minutes to the bottom of the first drawer, I discovered a folded up piece of paper underneath a pair of khakis.

I unfolded the paper and read it out loud to myself.

_Bella, I know this isn't the right time, seeing as it's the day before your wedding. I just wanted to let you know that I may be out of your life, but it doesn't mean I've stopped loving you. I want you to understand that this will be easier for you in the long run if you stay away from me. I love you, and I always will. Jacob._

I lunged dramatically for my phone and dialed Billy Black's number, only to get a busy signal. I cursed loudly and threw my phone back on the bed before I stepped into my jeans and shimmied into them. Right as I ventured into my closet to select a shirt, my phone rang again and I raced out of my closet so fast I nearly tripped over my feet and leaped onto the bed.

I placed the phone to my ear. "Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Bella," Edward murmured.

"Oh, hi," I panted.

"Do me a favor and stop calling werewolves!" he said loudly and hung up. Annoyed, I thrust the phone back down onto my covers and bounded back into my closet for a shirt. I decided on a navy blue henley with a white lace cami underneath before the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Bella Swan! Where are you?!" Alice demanded angrily.

"Possibly still at home, getting ready?" I answered.

"Bella!" she cried.

"Sorry, I'm almost done!" I said hurriedly before I hung up and began to run my fingers through my hair furiously in a sad attempt to make it look groomed. I groaned, accepting defeat, and trudged all the way down the stairs until I realized I had left my phone on the bed and raced back up.

Edward beat me to it, handing me my phone as soon as I walked in the door of my room again.

"Thanks," I muttered as he walked in front of me, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the stairs with him until we were outside. I locked the door and went down the driveway where Edward was waiting with the passenger door of his shiny Volvo opened for me.

I climbed in and tried to ignore how hard he slammed the door.

When he was inside and all the doors were closed, I reached to open the window, but he swiftly pressed a button on his side before I could even lift my finger. As I flicked the switch to roll the window down, it was unresponsive. I tried a few more times, but got no results. Frustrated, I glared at Edward.

"Did you lock it?" I demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Edward said a little too innocently.

"Yeah, right," I grumbled. "I suppose this is payback for trying to contact Jacob?"

"Again, no idea," he repeated.

I rolled my eyes, knowing that was all the answer I was going to get, and waited until he pulled up at the church steps to storm out angrily.

He matched my pace effortlessly, and I whirled to face him.

"Look, what exactly do you want?" I demanded.

He took my face in his hands. "You," he replied, kissing me so swiftly that I was unsure of whether or not it happened, and then walking away. I turned around, still a little dazed by his kiss.

I stumbled up the steps and through the large doors where I was swept into a hug from Alice.

"Bella, where have you been? We need you for you-know-what!" she shrieked, dragging me into a hallway and through a door. I whirled to examine my surroundings, but I was clueless as to where I was.

"Alice, where are we?" I asked.

"This is where we plan the best wedding prank ever!" she exclaimed.

"Um, Alice, I'm not sure if--" I began. Suddenly she clutched my shoulders and shook me furiously.

"Are you backing out of your deal?!" she demanded.

Frozen with shock, with my eyes wide, I shook my head.

She released her deathly grip on my shoulders and her face lit up innocently again. "Good," she said, smiling sweetly.

I was still traumatized by her reaction and was petrified for a few minutes before she motioned for me to join her on the floor. Wanting to avoid another reaction like before, I quickly joined her where she spread a large blueprint on the floor.

During the time she explained the plans, my mind was filled with thoughts of Jacob. When did he leave that note? And when would I ever be able to see him again? The thought of him made my heart ache, but then the guilt overpowered my heartache when the thought of me marrying Edward in less than twenty four hours resurfaced.

The words streaming from Alice's mouth sounded like dribble in my ears. I wasn't even paying attention to it and yet it was giving me a migraine.

"Alice," I said firmly, cutting her off mid-sentence. "I need some air."

She looked concerned, but she just nodded and I scrambled onto my feet and out the door. As I paced down the hallway and out the large church doors, Emmett caught a glimpse of me and followed me outside.

"Bella, are you okay?" he asked. I avoided his gaze and looked at the ground instead, but he ducked his head down and smiled at me, and that caught my attention.

"It's nothing, Emmett," I lied.

He didn't look convinced.

"Really," I insisted.

"Everyone knows that when someone says it's nothing, it's really something," Emmett said lightly, causing me to laugh.

"Okay, it's something," I said, rolling my eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You can trust me."

I nodded and bit my lip. "Jacob Black left last weekend. And when I say left, I mean he said he would never come back into my life. When Edward left a while ago, I was a mess. And Jacob picked up the pieces and put them back together again, and he gave me a piece of his heart. Once Edward came back I missed him so much that I dropped Jacob like a hot potato. And now that I'm marrying Edward, I feel like I'm hurting Jacob so much. I found a note he left me in my dresser, and he told me he still loved me, but that this was best for me. That's just not good enough for me, Emmett!" I explained everything in a blur, but Emmett kept up.

He just nodded understandingly.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked, biting my lip nervously. To my complete and utter surprise, I hadn't shed one tear explaining this whole thing to Emmett.

"Edward will have my head for this," he began, "but I really think you need to talk to this guy and tell him that the separation is worse for you than only seeing him in moderation."

I comprehended what Emmett just said, and it almost sounded...smart.

Emmett had just started to turn and walk away before I called to him.

"Emmett?" I called.

He turned to look at me and raised his eyebrows.

"Thanks," I said, and he smiled at me before he walked over and swept me up in a hug. I guess this was my day for surprises, because Emmett's body was actually harder than Edward.

Emmett pulled away slowly and then sauntered back inside with his hands jammed into his pockets. I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed the Black's number yet again.

"Hello?" was the answer. Only it wasn't a male's voice at all. It was Hannah.

"Um...hi. I'm Bella." I noticed that my own voice was shaking. Jeez, Bella! Calm down and get ahold of yourself! "Can I speak to Jacob, please?"

"Oh, he's busy right now, can I take a message?" Hannah asked.

"Tell Jacob it's me, and that I got his note. Tell him I want him to be here today because I need to talk to him," I explained. I waited in the silence, until a clear gulp was audible.

"Jacob said he was out of your life now," she clarified.

"Well if you haven't noticed, Jacob is an idiot. So tell him what I told you," I said sternly before I snapped my phone shut and went back inside the church to join Alice. As I rounded the corner into the hallway, a strong hand grabbed my right elbow and pinned me against the wall.

"Ow!" I cried, and a cold hand clamped over my mouth.

"Shh!" Edward hissed.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, my words lost underneath Edward's hand.

"If you must know, I'm taking you out today," Edward said simply, before dropping his hand down and taking mine.

"We're supposed to be rehearsing," I said acidly.

He laughed. "What else is there to do but say 'I do'?" he asked sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes but didn't object again. Inside, I was secretly rejoicing. _Yes! I get to spend today with Edward!_

"Where are you taking me?" I asked curiously.

"Home," he replied. "Get in."

And I obeyed his orders and sat in my seat, buckling my seatbelt. I watched his fingers as they turned the key and he backed out. As soon as the car was completely out of the space, we noticed Alice at the hood of the car, fuming mad.

"Oh, crap," I muttered, smacking my palm on my forehead.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

"HOME!" Edward shouted, laughing as he shifted to DRIVE and zoomed out of the parking lot. Even strapped in, I was clutching the door and the seat frantically, my eyes wide with terror.

Alice narrowly avoided getting hit and shattering the windshield, and she kept up with us easily. I jumped as her hands suddenly grabbed ahold of the bumper and she held on tight, climbing on top of the trunk and over the top of the car.

Edward began swerving in the street to get her to fall off, but Alice was no weakling. She clung onto the top of the car with all her might. Edward's speedy driving had already taken us towards the La Push border, and Edward flew by the "Welcome to La Push" sign as if it didn't exist. I realized where we were heading with Edward's insane driving; near the cliffs. The cliffs that I had thrown myself off of. I recognized the exact spot we were approaching.

Before I could protest, Edward abruptly spun the wheel to the right, and we spun in a complete circle before stopping an inch before the edge of the cliff. I actually thought if I leaned too much to my right, the car would tip over and I would end up in the middle of a metal and upholstery sandwich.

Alice was still gripping the top of the Volvo before Edward opened his door and stepped outside.

Alice climbed down and right before her feet touched the ground, Edward pushed her so swiftly I could barely tell if he had, and she lost her footing and fell off the cliff.

"Edward!" I shrieked in horror. He couldn't contain his laughter, and he nearly fell off the cliff himself.

Before I could even stop him, he gripped me around my waist and hurled himself off the cliff too.

"Are you crazy?!" I demanded in mid-air, but he was still laughing. Instead of saying anything else, I just decided to enjoy the moment. After spending a never-ending week of time apart from Edward, it was nice to be in his arms again, even if it did involve eventually being immersed in frozen water.

Edward didn't let me go once, and after we surfaced, he planted a kiss on my lips, which made me smile wider than I had all week.

"Thanks honey," I giggled.

And then Alice grabbed us by our ears and dragged us all the way back to shore where we would both face our dooms. This should be fun.

****

Sorry it's been so long! I've kinda been busy and even now that it's over I just haven't had any good ideas or good writing days. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that and during the summer I will work on it more along with my other story Robbed. Please keep reading and reviewing!


	27. Wedding Part 1

Chapter 27: Wedding Part 1

There were three hours until the wedding. Alice, Edward and I were headed back up the cliff after a very stern lecture from Alice about responsibilities. Once we reached the Volvo, Edward and Alice both snarled in unison, causing me to jump three feet in the air.

"What?!" I demanded, a little annoyed.

"In Edward's carelessness, he drove into La Push. And we all know that vampires aren't allowed in La Push. So why don't you tell the massive pack of werewolves behind us what you were thinking, Edward?" Alice said icily.

His expression was exasperated as he turned to face the angry pack of werewolves behind us. Surprisingly, Jacob was the only wolf who wasn't there.

"Where's Jacob?" I asked, surprised by my own boldness.

"He's not coming," Sam replied.

"Why not?" me and Edward demanded in unison.

I stared at Edward in shock for a few seconds before turning back to the furious glares from the pack. I noticed Paul's hands were clenching into fists, and as he met Edward's eyes, a large shudder rippled through his torso.

"Paul!" Sam shouted, abruptly ending Paul's convulsions.

Edward's arm snaked its way behind me and around my waist, yanking me towards him protectively. To my own surprise, I was actually scared of the pack. I clutched the frabric of Edward's shirt in my hands and half-hid my face in his chest. His clothes were still damp, but they smelled so good I ignored the wetness.

"We meant no harm," Edward said, his tone deadly.

"I'm sure you didn't!" Paul sneered, clawing his way through Sam and Jared. Instinctively, Sam's arm shot out and restrained Paul, but he was furious.

Edward rolled his eyes at Paul's irritability. I stared at Edward in disbelief--this wasn't a joke! The Cullens were forbidden to cross the border at all, and we had gone way past the border.

"We will leave now," Alice said in a low, respectful voice. Instead of grabbing me, she grabbed a hanful Edward's collar and dragged him along. He barely budged, but she yanked harder and he followed.

"Wait!" Sam called as soon as I had begun to follow Edward and Alice. The three of us all turned reluctantly.

"You do realize that this is a direct violation of the treaty?" Sam asked.

Edward looked livid as he nodded.

"Are you aware of the consequences of your actions?" Sam's voice was booming. Edward's lips formed into a tight line, but he didn't answer. He just continued to look at Sam expectantly. When Sam didn't answer, Edward turned on his heel and began to stomp away when Sam spoke up again.

"You can't leave La Push," Sam said.

"Why _not_?!" Edward growled, his back still facing us. I reached for his arm, but he shrugged away from my grasp.

"You have broken the treaty numerous times recently. And it's come to my attention that you are going to bite Bella soon," Sam pointed out, remaining remarkably calm.

"You're correct," Edward growled, his jaw tight.

"Edward," I whispered, brushing my fingertips on his wrist. His eyes didn't move from past me, towards the crowd of angry half-naked boys. His arm did snake around me though, his hand resting on the small of back.

"You're telling me that you're willing to start a war?" Sam asked in disbelief. Comprehension flickered across all the werewolves' faces as they realized how serious we were. Alice's head was facing down, and it was clear she was wishing she was elsewhere.

"It is Bella's wish to be changed after we're married, despite the consequences," Edward explained. His jaw was clenched, and his hand was balled into a fist beside him.

"Very well, we will settle this later," Sam said, turning around to usher the other werewolves away from us. Okay, that was unexpected. Edward's coal black eyes still didn't meet mine as he turned, using some pressure with the hand still resting on my back as he pushed me towards the Volvo.

"Wait," I said, once again surprised by my sudden valor. I walked away from Edward, who seemed enraged by that, and I marched towards the pack. Sam was the first to face me, so I decided to confront him before the others. "Take me to Jacob."

My request would have been much more valid if my voice hadn't cracked at Jacob's name. All the members of the pack besides Sam burst into fits of laughter, and Sam was the first to respond.

"That's not my decision to make," Sam said calmly. Once he was done, he turned and began to leave once again. I felt a cold hand around my wrist, and I was jostled by Edward's force to drag me back towards the Volvo.

"No!" I cried, trying to break out of Edward's forceful grasp, even though I was completely aware that my attempts were futile.

"Let it go, Bella," Edward commanded darkly, only meeting my eyes for a second with his livid ones before he reached over and opened the passenger door to the Volvo. Alice was already in the backseat, staying silent under Edward's wrath. I, however, didn't have the same wisdom as Alice.

Immediately I bristled. "You're the one who told me to resolve this!"

"Well, now I take it back," he growled, shoving me with the gentlest amount of pressure into the passenger seat. He was fully prepared to shut the door when I swung my legs out. He sighed, a little bit of tension disappearing, and he glanced at my legs.

"If you would like to keep your legs, I would suggest you put them back in the car, Bella," Edward warned. I was halfway convinced he was joking, but Alice didn't want to take any chances, so she reached upward and grabbed my upper arms and yanked me into the backseat right as Edward shut the door.

"Thanks, Alice," I panted.

She simply nodded, and watched as Edward made his way around the front of the car and into the driver's side. His keys were jingling in his hand until he turned them into the ignition, and the engine purred. He turned to grin at me, but I rolled my eyes and his expression fell.

For some reason, this made me feel better.

"How much longer until the wedding?" I asked. I began to feel extremely annoyed when the only reply I got was the crickets chirping.

"Hello?" I demanded.

"Two and a half hours," Alice mumbled sheepishly.

I buried my face in my hands and groaned. This was going about as badly as possible. If only Edward hadn't kidnapped me in order to take me cliffdiving, or "home" in his own words, we wouldn't be having this situation. If I had just stayed at the church with Alice, then everything would have gone according to plan.

As if he'd read my mind, Edward murmured, "I'm sorry."

I wasn't sure if he was apologizing to me or Alice, and when I looked at Alice questioningly, Edward chuckled and said, "I meant you, Bella."

Oh. He was sorry. As if that made everything fine and dandy.

"Thanks, I guess," I muttered. He sighed, but he remained silent the rest of the way. I focused on the "Welcome to La Push" sign as we flew by it, and the silence was becoming louder in my ears than the sound of the tires scraping across the gravel scattered on the roads as we crossed the border.

I stole a quick glance at Alice, and her eyes were closed. After staring at her for a few seconds, it finally dawned on me; Alice was having a vision. I watched her, my brows pulled together in confusion and concern, until she startled me by opening her eyes swiftly. She examined me warily before she looked away, as if staring me down was painful.

"Edward," Alice said finally, breaking the silence with the urgency audible in her tone.

"Hmmm?" he asked, sounding as if he had been interrupted from engrossing thoughts.

"Pull over," she ordered. Without another word, he obeyed and she fumbled with the handle of the door until she swung it open, and the sudden amount of light was blinding. I was immobile for a second before Alice reappeared in the backseat to snatch me and drag me out.

"Alice, what is it?" I asked frantically, a little frightened of her firmness.

She opened her mouth to begin telling, but paused for a second and she glanced past me, towards Edward, who was conspicuously eavesdropping. His fist was propped under his jaw, and he was inching as close to the window as he could go without looking directly at us. She stormed next to Edward's window and banged her fist on the window as hard as she could without shattering the window right there. Still, even withholding her strength, the window shifted in place, and Edward jumped a foot in the air.

The window rolled down, and Edward muttered, "Sorry," before the window rolled up again and Alice resumed her conversation.

"Bella, these visions are coming more and more and they're stronger. I can almost make out who it is, but I'm not sure if I want to. Tell me what's going on," she said, in a hushed but urgent tone. I sighed; I wasn't sure what was happening, and I was going to prevent anything that would come in between Edward and me.

"Alice, I don't know! I'm not planning on doing anything to hurt Edward!" I cried. I sincerely hoped he hadn't overheard that. A fleeting look towards Edward, who was looking concerned but clueless in the driver's seat, showed me he hadn't been eavesdropping. If he had been, he was a better liar than I had given him credit for.

"I know," she muttered, sighing heavily. After a mutual melancholy moment, she perked up and smiled. "Cheer up, Bella. You're getting married today! If I know my visions, I'll be dead wrong and everything will go great!" She said, adding in an inconspicuous wink as she skipped back to the backseat of the Volvo. I slid in first, pausing halfway there to reach over and give Edward a slow peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as I finished scooting farther into the backseat.

"Can't a girl give her fiance a kiss on the cheek?" I asked innocently.

"What's the catch?" he said, flashing a crooked smile that made my heart stop beating. I just smiled at him and ignored Alice as she made gagging sounds beside me.

After thoroughly dazzling me, Edward turned back to the road and drove until we had reached the church. I hopped out of the backseat with Alice in tow and I climbed the steps as fast as I could before I tripped and stumbled down a few steps. I was caught in the arms of my smug vampire fiance, and he said nothing as he righted me and took my hand to ensure I made it into the church in one piece. As we parted ways between the two identical hallways, I watched him walk fluidly into a door at the absolute end of his hall, and I attempted his graceful gait down my own hallway.

"Bella! We don't have all day!" Alice yelled, snapping me out of it. Embarassed, I scurried into our prank planning room with my head down, and I sat sown on the floor, awaiting new instructions.

"Bella, here's the plan. You walk down the aisle, hopefully make it to Edward unscathed, and the vows are said. After you say 'I do' and you're listening to the priest, right before Edward says 'I do' I will make sure the bucket is positioned over Edward and Edward _only. _You and Edward will exchange rings, and then the priest will tell Edward to kiss you. Kiss him however you want, and when you're done, step away from him just a little but not too conspicuously, and then give me the signal and I'll dump the water over his head. And then your large slice of revenge pie will be served!" she exclaimed. I really didn't want to burst her bubble, but in retrospect, this wasn't _my_ revenge, since I didn't even plan it. This was just Alice's chance to show Edward some sisterly love.

"So, Bella, I'll take you home and you can take a shower. I'll be ready to do your hair and makeup when you're done. It starts at three, but everyone else will be ready in the limo for you at two thirty," she said nonchalantly. I nodded, comprehending what she'd just said when it hit me:

"There's a limo?" I demanded.

"Why, yes, Bella. It's a wedding, of course there's a limo for the bridesmaids so we can all arrive fashionably on time," she replied, smiling. I rolled my eyes and laughed as I followed her out of our secret room and down the hall.

"Alice, Bella!" Edward called, bolting away from a conversation with Carlisle and towards us. Alice looked peeved that he had caught us, but I was beaming up at Edward, who looked gorgeous as ever.

"What do you want?" Alice grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing. She suddenly looked like a sulky two-year-old, and Edward chuckled.

"Ouch," he said, clutching his chest sarcastically. "Where are you going?"

"If you must know, I was going to take Bella home so she can get ready," Alice replied.

"You mind if I take Bella home?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. Come on Bella," Alice muttered, grabbing the sleeve of my once-damp shirt and dragging me a fraction of an inch before I dug my heels into the floor and refused to go any further.

"Wait, Alice. Can Edward take me home?" I made sure to give her the pleading Bambi eyes and waited for it to take effect. She glowered at me and exhaled deeply in defeat.

"Fine, but I'm still coming over in about an hour to do your hair and makeup. There's no getting out of that!" she warned, wagging her finger in my face.

"Of course," I said, watching her stomp away angrily.

Edward's hand glided over to the small of my back and guided me out the door to his Volvo. A question was bubbling up to my lips, but I bit it back until we were in the car and halfway there.

"Why did you want to drive me home?" I asked casually while I looked out the window. I turned to look at him, and he was staring down at me as if he'd been studying me the whole time, as if he was sensing that I'd had a question to ask the whole time. The thought made me uncomfortable for a second, and I fidgeted in my seat before I gave him my full attention.

"To give you something," he replied, grinning at me. He was expecting me to pry for some more hints, and his eyes had a smug glint to them. Not wanting to inflate his ego, I simply shrugged and let it go, figuring I would get it soon enough even if the suspense would kill me.

After an awkward silence, Edward asked, "You don't want to know?"

I smiled sweetly and shook my head, and he groaned.

"What?" I asked, curious about his reaction.

"You never cease to amaze me," he muttered. He glanced at me to check my expression, but I was more confused than offended; it wasn't the first time he'd told me that, and I considered it a compliment, but I wondered how I'd amazed him now.

"How?" Curiosity overpowered my intentions as I asked.

"Your reactions are..." he hesitated, trying to choose a word that wouldn't offend me, "unusual."

I nodded and laughed dryly. "Thank you?"

He stumbled over his own words momentarily. "No, I didn't mean to offend you, I just mean that..." his voice trailed off as he contemplated an explanation that wasn't insulting. "You truly are exasperating," he finally said, deciding this description was the most accurate.

I laughed. "Yeah, that's _way_ less offensive!" I shoved him playfully on the shoulder, and he took it like all was forgiven. In perfect timing, we pulled up to Charlie's house. When I opened the front door, I walked in to Charlie nervously pacing around the living room in a black suit, with the jacket unbuttoned and the tie draped over his shoulders.

"Hey, Bells," Charlie said, taking me in an awkward, one-armed hug.

"Hi, Dad," I mumbled.

Edward nodded respectfully to Charlie. "Hello, Charlie."

"Edward," Charlie replied in a paternal tone. I rolled my eyes and took Edward by the wrist up the stairs and into my room.

"Show me my surprise!" I said, letting all my curiousity have me.

He smiled crookedly, making the muscles in my legs turn to Jell-O.

"Not yet," he whispered.

My jaw dropped. "Why not?" I demanded, annoyed.

He chuckled. "I expected that reaction. Wait here," he ordered, and I nodded and obeyed. Within half of a second, he was out the window and had disappeared. It took me a few seconds to run to the bathroom and examine myself in the mirror, and my reflection didn't shock me.

I turned the faucet on and splashed some cool water on my face before I heard footsteps in my room. I dried my face and stepped out of the bathroom to find a windblown Edward sitting on my bed.

"You left, didn't you?" I accused.

"You saw me leave," he said, pointing to the window with his thumb. I sat down beside him on the bed and tousled his unruly hair with my fingers.

"Your hair is all messed up. Where did you run to?" I asked.

His eyes were on me, looking all too innocent, and he finally smiled and gave up. "Somewhere for me to know and you to never find out," he replied. I figured that was the most I would be able to force out of him, so I dropped it.

"Fine, what's the surprise?" I was bouncing up and down on the mattress.

He chuckled and touched his fingertip on my nose before revealing a black velvet box.

"You didn't," I gasped.

"I did," he said, flashing another crooked smile that nearly made me faint.

And he opened it, revealing a white gold, three tiered heart chain identical to the one in my dream. I gasped again at the stunning resemblance, and I stopped breathing altogether as Edward took it out of the box and fastened it around my neck.

"Bella, breathe!" he said, noting the fact that my heart nearly stopped.

I exhaled and caught my breath, and he chuckled.

"Tell me something," he whispered seductively in my ear.

"Wha--" I began, but he shushed me.

He paused for a second. "What were you going to do before I volunteered to take you home?" he asked.

"I was going to take a shower," I replied.

"Oh," he said. Then after a prolonged silence: "Do you want to take one with me?"

_Okay, that was unexpected._

But all I could say as a reply was, "Uh..."

He chuckled.

"Um," I gulped. "It's just--"

"Shh," he whispered, putting a finger to my lips. He leaned over slowly and pressed his cool lips onto my warm ones. He was slowly moving closer onto me until he had me pinned down on the bed, and he stopped to whisper in my ear.

"I love you."

I smiled. "I love you, too."

And he lowered himself onto me again, kissing me softly.

"Shower?" he murmured.

"What about your promise?" I said back, before I lifted my head and kissed his neck. He sighed.

"If _you_ promise to be good, I don't mind," he said.

"I promise," I whispered. "The question is, will you be good?"

I figured the question would be rhetorical, but he laughed deep in his throat and murmured, "No."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked. My heart was pounding so crazily now I was afraid it would burst out of my chest. He leaned down and kissed me again.

"Yes," he replied.

We began undressing eachother slowly, and my hands were shaking as I unbuttoned his shirt. We were still wearing the clothes we had jumped off the cliff in, and now both of our shirts were lying in a pile on the floor. I had seen him shirtless before, but the sight of him half naked still left me breathless.

We both hesitated at each other's jeans, and he just did his own while I did mine. Even now in our undergarments, he was still heartstopping. I was secretly praising Alice in my head for supplying me a drawerful of Victoria's Secret lingerie as he examined me thoroughly.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, kissing me passionately.

He pulled away much too soon for my liking, but I couldn't object due to my promise.

"So are you," I breathed as I watched him.

He chuckled. "I'm guessing this is Alice's doing?"

"Definetely," I replied.

"I'll have to thank her later," he said, his face buried in my thick mane of brown hair. He inhaled and pressed his lips to my forehead. "I love you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his neck again. "I love you too." And while we were still intertwined, he asked me if I was ready again, and I nodded. He carried me swiftly into the bathroom, making sure Charlie didn't catch us. Still holding me up, he reached over to the bathtub and turned the hot water on, mixing in some cool water as soon as the water had heated up. My arms were still hanging limply around him when I felt him unhook my bra from the back and I pressed my chest against his.

"Bella?" he asked, letting me down and peering at me to make sure I was okay. "Do you want me to..."

I nodded again and hesitantly pulled the lacy bra off and tossed it onto the floor. Edward was smiling at me as I faced him topless, his eyes sparkling with love.

I looked at him expectantly, and he returned my stare.

I walked towards one end of the shower curtain and he faced the opposite one.

"On three?" I suggested.

He grinned and nodded.

"One," he whispered, winking at me.

I could feel myself blushing like mad as I said, "Two."

"Three!" we said in unison, and we both yanked off our remaining undergarments and hopped into the shower on our opposite sides. I faced him, feeling my heart explode as I saw every inch of his pale, porcelain skin. He smiled at me, his eyes intense as he scrutinized all of me.

I made the first move, reaching towards him and placing my fingers under his jaw as I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his full lips that were stretched into his famous crooked smile. His lips were hungry and determined, but hesitant as he matched my desperation.

"I missed you this week," I whispered, not even paying attention to the hot water raining down on my head.

"Likewise." He turned us around and the water pelted his back. He wrapped his arms around me and I almost materialized into his body. What had been mentioned earlier about fitting into him like a jigsaw puzzle had never been more true.

I felt like I was going to melt in the steam the shower was producing. I wanted to stay in this shower with Edward forever, and memorize every inch of his perfect body, but I knew that Alice would kill me if I was even a millisecond late for the wedding.

"You need to get ready," Edward murmured, stunning me with his accuracy.

"Are you reading my mind or something?" I demanded.

"No, I'm just attentive," he murmured into my neck. "I guess I should step out now."

"Wait!" I touched his shoulder and stopped him. "You haven't even really showered yet."

"True," he said, grinning at me. We lathered eachother up and it eventually resulted in a foam fight. I had shampooed my long hair and he had done his, and we had scrubbed ourselves completely clean and rinsed off by the time there was a knock at the door.

"Crap! That's probably Charlie!" I hissed, bumping into Edward's stone figure accidently. I was toast.

**Sorry about how long it took to post, but these next two chapters are pretty long. This chapter was going to be so long that I decided to cut it in half and leave you with a cliffy! Don't you love me? Lol I hope you enjoyed that and please please please review!!**


	28. Wedding Part 2

Chapter 28: Wedding Part 2

_"Crap! That's probably Charlie!" I hissed, bumping into Edward's stone figure accidently. I was toast._

"No problem, he won't catch me," Edward said nonchalantly, rolling his eyes as if there were any threat at all by a human's pace.

"No, I meant, 'Oh crap, it's Charlie, and he's going to find our _clothes and underwear_ scattered across my bedroom floor!" I snapped, and his eyes widened.

"I would have heard his thoughts," Edward explained.

I shrugged, my face panic-stricken, considering this shred of information unimportant. Whoever found the clothes would expect an explanation!

We both hopped out of the bathtub and wrapped towels around ourselves. I hesitated at the doorknob, noticing how my hands were shaking. Impatient, Edward placed his hand on my bare shoulder and walked past me to open the door.

As soon as it was opened, we realized that there was nobody there.

Edward looked towards me to scrutinize my face, but I was just as confused as him. He began to tiptoe into the hallway, and I could feel my heartbeat accelerate with every step he took towards my room.

Edward turned around and mouthed "calm down" at me before continuing the brutal journey down the hall. He disappeared in my doorway, and I closed my eyes, waiting for an explosion or something along those lines.

"You've got a visitor." When I heard Edward's voice from behind me, I nearly screamed and jumped a foot in the air.

"How did you--?" I began. I decided to drop the question, since the answer probably would have been another question that would have left me baffled and eventually annoyed.

"Come with me," he said, taking me by the wrist down the hallway into my room. I followed without objections, and somehow the four-foot-ten vampire sitting in my rocking chair in the corner of my room wasn't as much of a relief as the stack of clothes in her lap was.

"You're lucky I got here when I did, or you could have given Charlie an aneurysm," she said, grinning. I grabbed her in a tight hug and kept repeating "thank you's" in her ear.

"How come I couldn't hear your thoughts, Alice?" Edward asked, an eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"I have my ways," Alice replied, a sly look in her eyes. Edward still looked curious, but he pressed his lips together and stayed silent. I could tell he was determined to find a valid explanation.

"What happened?" I asked, surprisingly out of breath.

She giggled. "That _was_ Charlie at the door, but I arrived just in time to distract him and I managed to get him outside and lock him out."

"You saved my butt, Alice," I said, laughing at how proud Alice was of her astonishing feat. Of course, Charlie would be wondering _why_ he had been mysteriously locked out due to Alice's actions, but I ignored that small fact.

"Speaking of your butts," she began, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the both of us wearing towels, "I would like to know what happened with your butts while I was gone. Start explaining!"

"Nothing happened, Alice!" I insisted.

"Yeah, sure," she muttered, cutting me off before I could elaborate any further. Suddenly she pointed at Edward. "You! Get out! We have to prepare the bride for her wedding and you're not even supposed to be here!"

He smiled sheepishly and grabbed his clothes from the neat stack Alice had arranged before he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and then climbed out the window, still wrapped in a towel. As soon as he had been safely gone for a few minutes, Alice shut the window and turned to me, her expression demanding an explanation.

"Alice, it isn't what it seems like!" I immediately said.

She laughed. "Well it seems like you just got out of the shower with your fiance. Am I right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Maybe," I said, not meeting her eyes.

"Mhmm," she muttered, taking a comb from a bag laid on my bed and running it through my tangled strands. She was on the verge of yanking all my hair out when she grumbled, "Geez, Bella, your hair is awfully tangled. What on earth did you do with him in there?!"

"Nothing!" I said defensively, crossing my arms over my chest as I very painfully approached baldness. After Alice finished thoroughly condemning me to a receding hairline, she blowdried my hair and began straightening it in sections.

Once she was done, she combed back the front half of my hair and tied it in a small ponytail. Once the curling iron was heated up, she began curling the ponytail, and then lightly curled the strands framing my face.

"Perfect," she said, sighing heavily as if all of _her_ dreams were coming true today. She looked like she was about to start crying before she pulled a bottle of hairspray out of the bag and began spraying it all around my head without hesitation. When I began choking on the fumes, she stopped, fanned her hands around to diminish the choking hazard, and then continued spraying.

Once she had stopped, I pounced on the chance to ask, "What time is it?"

"It's quarter after two," she replied simply.

"Two fifteen?!" I shrieked, flying off the bed. All of the beauty tools Alice had rested on my lap went airborne, and Alice looked ready to bite my head off. In a few more minutes, Alice had applied my makeup like it was going out of business, and I gasped in horror at my reflection.

"Oh, Bella, lighten up! It comes off!" she insisted, brushing on some transfer resistant lipstick in a subtle pink shade.

"There," she finally said, after a tedious application of a clear topcoat over my lipstick. "You're all done and ready for your wedding!"

"Thanks, Alice!" I said, hugging her around the neck. "You're the best bridesmaid, friend, and sister-in-law I could ever ask for!"

"Yeah, I know," she said, laughing.

Alice helped me into my dress and heels unscathed, and the limo pulled up just in time. The horn honked loudly, and me and Alice raced down the stairs and outside to meet Rosalie, Angela, and Esme in the long seats. Somehow a limo that was only carrying five people seemed like a waste, but I bit back my objections and decided to save them for later.

The schauffer began the drive to the church, and I found that I couldn't stop hyperventilating.

"Bella. _Bella._ Bella!" Alice said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I snapped out of it, and my heartbeat returned to normal. "Geez, Bella, calm down!"

I looked at the three pairs of eyes staring at me (four, if you included the reflection of the concerned schauffer in the front seat) and sighed heavily.

"I'm nervous," I admitted.

"It's perfectly normal, Bella," Esme said, placing her frigid hand over mine. The warmth of her intentions were clear, and I felt her compassion surging through me as if she was channeling Jasper.

"Even a blind man can tell that Edward really loves you," Angela said. "You truly are the luckiest girl in the world."

"And the clumsiest," Rosalie muttered.

I glowered at her, and she had the nerve to smile. I wasn't concerned about Rosalie's moodswings right now, though, I was mostly concerned about not letting my dream come true. We pulled up in front of the church steps, and I took a deep breath. I gathered fabric of my wedding gown in front of my feet and stepped out. Just my luck, I stepped on an uneven patch of concrete and my heel wobbled from side to side before my weight shifted painfully and I crumpled to the floor, regretting the fact that I hadn't held in my cry of pain.

"Bella!" Esme murmured, crouching next to me.

"Oh, god!" Rosalie exclaimed, exasperated by my unending cumbersomeness. She didn't even attempt to help me, she just threw her hands in the air and groaned.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked, squatting down beside me.

"I think I'm okay," I lied. I knew it was going to be pure torture to walk, especially in these painfully expensive heels, but I put on a straight face and stood on my feet. Alice and Esme were standing by to catch me if I even did so much as wobble, but I remained balanced as I walked up the stairs.

I hoped the rest of my wedding didn't depend completely on being coordinated, because I was doomed.

The hallways were cluttered by a huge group of massive teenage boys in tuxedos. As we made our entrance, they all turned and spotted us, and their faces seemed extremely familiar. After gawking at them for a few minutes, I recognized one face in particular out of the crowd and it hit me--it was the Pack.

The comparison from their usual half nakedness to their black tie dress code was surreal. After looking the crowd of nine boys over, I sighed sadly when I noticed the one missing face.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Alice asked, lighting tapping my wrist with her hand. I shook my head and didn't answer. If Alice knew that I was upset about Jacob's absence, then Edward would find out. So I kept my mouth shut and smiled for Alice, despite the fact that my ankle was throbbing.

"Five minutes, people!" Carlisle said, poking his head through the doors that would lead me into both my greatest desires and my worst nightmare.

The Pack began to make their way through the doors, and I smiled when Sam mouthed "good luck" to me before he disappeared into the room where I would be getting married in less than five minutes. I was on the verge of a mixture of tears and hyperventilation when a surge of calm swept over me, so much so that it nearly put me to sleep.

_Thanks, Jasper. _I thought, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

Charlie appeared beside me, and I was bracing for an explosion when he glared at innocent little Alice. She simply smiled and winked at me inconspicuously. The music began playing, and Angela began to walk down the aisle with a bouquet I distinctly remembered Alice obsessing over a few weeks ago. Rosalie was next, and then Alice.

Another powerful surge of calm hit me, and I exhaled as I locked arms with Charlie.

"I love you, honey," Charlie whispered, and I smiled before I took my first steps. The first face I saw made me gasp, and I nearly burst into tears before the music stopped and everyone looked alarmed. I glanced at Edward, who looked alarmed and concerned, but I just gathered up my dress and limped back behind the doors.

A very confused Jacob followed after me and he just made it through before the doors closed. I bolted to my hallway and into the prank planning room, and before I heard the door slam, it was intercepted by Jacob.

"Hey," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied.

His eyes met mine, and they looked pained.

"Why are you here?" I asked, wanting to smack myself repeatedly for letting my voice crack weakly.

"Edward asked me to come," he replied. The way he said Edward's name was shocking. It was almost as if his burning hatred for Edward had disappeared and had been replaced with reverence. I flushed the thought away, assuming it was too far-fetched to be true. Jacob had been right, after all, they were mortal enemies.

"Why would he do that?" I asked softly.

Jacob shrugged, and he decided to reply with a question of his own. "What kind of idiot tries to erase themself from the life of the girl they love?"

I honestly wished he hadn't brought that up.

"Jacob, I..." I couldn't fathom a valid explanation, so I paused. "Last weekend wasn't what I wanted at all. I don't want you out of my life, Jacob. You're still my best friend no matter what, and I don't want to mess that up."

He looked thoughtful as I finished talking, and before I could say anything, he leaned over me and kissed me full on the lips softly. I had to say, in comparison to his other kisses, this one was refreshing, no matter how unnecessary it was.

I didn't want to be kissing someone else right now, fulfilling Alice's awful vision, on my wedding day. But what I hated more was the thought of losing Jacob simply because I didn't love him the way he loved me. My worst nightmare was when the door opened, and light flooded the room, and I wanted nothing more but to die on the spot.

"How could you?" Alice asked.

And I caught a glimpse of Edward's face, looking so hurt and betrayed that I wanted to shoot myself on the spot. I'm a horrible person. Edward simply turned and walked away, shaking his head, and I scrambled to my feet in a sad attempt to follow him.

Jacob tried to help me up while I tried to hoist myself up on only one functioning ankle, but I wasn't in the mood at all, and I turned to him and snapped, "Haven't you helped enough?"

His hands dropped and he was unresponsive as I lifted up my dress and began to chase after Edward. He had just burst out of the doors and was making his way down the stairs when I caught up to him.

"Edward!" I panted, my voice strained after running since my ankle felt like it was about to explode.

He stopped in place, but he didn't say anything.

"Edward?" I repeated softly, my voice weak. When he turned to face me, his expression was heartbreaking, and there was no doubt in my mind that I had just made a massive mistake.

He still wouldn't speak, but his eyes scrutinized me.

"I-I...I don't know how to explain myself, but I'm so sorry," I said, already aware that hot tears were streaming down my face. The silence between us was painful, and the glazed look in Edward's eyes was only hurting more.

"Please say something," I begged.

"What is there to say?" he asked. His tone was unfathomable, and his words cut like a knife. What had I just done to Edward?

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"I know," he said. Fluidly, he sat on the church steps and buried his face in his hands. I let him sit there for a while, hoping he wasn't reconsidering our marriage.

"Come here, Bella," Edward finally said after an agonizing silence.

I sat next to him, ignoring the fact that my dirtying of my wedding gown was going to be added to the list of reasons why Alice was going to kill me.

"You love me, right?" he asked, as if a simple "yes" or "no" could describe how I felt about him.

"Of course I do!" I replied, hearing the desperation in my voice as I clutched his arm.

He half-smiled at me; a melancholy smile that didn't satisfy me.

"I love you, too," he said. I exhaled, and I just noticed that I was clutching my chest like I used to. "But Jacob is getting in the way of this. And I can see that keeping him out of your life completely is not a good idea."

I shook my head, as much as I hated to admit it. Jacob was a part of me, and it hurt when that part was missing. But it hurt more when Edward was missing. That would destroy me.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "Is the wedding off?"

I cringed while I waited for his answer. It felt like every second ticking by was another piece of my heart being chipped away. And the worst part was that every missing piece would be well deserved.

He chuckled. "No. Of course not."

I felt like cheering and crying and jumping up and down. Inside, I was rejoicing that somehow this man beside me loved me enough to forgive me every time I made stupid mistakes. But the only thing I did do was lean over and kiss him delicately. He smiled at first, and then kissed me back with more pressure before a beeping car horn startled us.

"Let's get back," Edward said, reaching over to take my hand.

"Alice is going to rip my face off. She warned me about this," I muttered. He looked confused, but he didn't say anything more as he led me into the hall. He smiled at me for a few seconds that stood still, and then he disappeared behind the doors to wait for me again at the altar. I met Charlie at the door for the second time and he didn't ask questions as he linked arms with me.

The walk was slow, but worth it. The walk was also awkward, since I was the subject of many stares and blatant questions, and this made my clumsiness level rise by one thousand percent. Charlie and I stopped in front of the altar, and the priest asked Charlie if he gives me to Edward. Remarkably, Charlie agreed that I was now belonging to Edward without hesitation or stuttering. I beamed up at my father, who had recently added some gray hairs onto his head, and I kissed him on the cheek and hugged him before I walked up the altar in my spot next to Alice and Edward.

Alice was shooting daggers at me with her eyes, and Edward was looking at me like...well, like he loved me. I grinned at Edward, pretending I couldn't feel Alice's angry stares boring into my back as I took both of Edward's hands.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bond Mr. Edward Cullen and Ms. Isabella Swan in holy matrimony..." the pastor's voice trailed off as I daydreamed about Edward and me. My thoughts were abruptly ceased when I began hearing the vows, and I struggled to compose myself.

"Edward Cullen, do you take Isabella Swan to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, as long as you both shall live?" the pastor asked Edward. I glanced at Edward, sincerely hoping he didn't look at the priest incredulously, burst into uncontrollable laughter, and say "No!" repeatedly while he struggled to catch his breath.

"I do," he said, in a sexy voice that nearly made me melt.

I sighed, beaming at my wonderful Edward, and the pastor turned to me.

"Isabella Swan, do you take Edward Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, as long as you both shall live?" the pastor asked me.

"I do," I replied, smiling at Edward so wide my cheeks ached.

He looked amused as he grinned back, and the ring bearer handed the pastor the rings, which sparkled in the light. I gasped in awe at how gorgeous they both were, and...how expensive they looked. I decided to let those thoughts plague my mind another time.

"Edward, place this ring on the third finger on Isabella's left hand and say 'With this ring, I thee wed,'" the priest instructed.

Edward obeyed, and murmured, "With this ring, I thee wed."

I could feel my bones turning into jelly when the priest turned to me and said, "Isabella, place this ring on the third finger on Edward's left hand and say 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

His hand was light as a feather in my hand, and just cool enough to give me goosebumps. I slid the gorgeous band over his finger, smiled up at him, and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife!" the priest exclaimed, and Edward clutched me in his strong hands and dipped me before he planted a long, passionate kiss on my lips. When he let me back up, I was dazed by the tantalizing shimmer in his sparkling tawny eyes.

His eyes held mine like a magnet, and I wasn't paying attention when I tucked my hair behind my ear. Suddenly I remembered--that was the signal. I was about to scream to call off the prank, but it was already too late. I felt a large amount of water gush over my head, and I looked at Edward, who was shocked. He turned to glower at me, and I smiled sheepishly. Edward grabbed me into a hug from behind and spun me around as I giggled.

Well, we were both soaked, and our wedding pictures would be one for the books, but we were together. I leaned over and planted a sloppy kiss on Edward's lips, and he growled playfully.

"Congratulations, Bella," said a husky voice from behind me.

I turned reluctantly to face Jacob. "Thanks, Jacob."

"Can I talk to you in private?" Jacob asked.

"Um...I don't know," I said unsurely, biting my lip nervously. I glanced up at Edward and he egged me on by nodding once towards Jacob. Perplexed, I followed Jacob over to an empty pew and we both sat down.

"Bella, I'm sorry about earlier," Jacob said.

"Don't worry about it," I mumbled.

"No," he said firmly. "I don't want you to remember me as the pig who kissed you on your wedding day. I want you to remember me as your best friend who's satisfied by your happiness. And I also want you to remember that I will miss you. A lot."

To my utter embarassment, my eyes misted over, and they blurred the image of Jacob's pained face. My face crumpled and I gave into the persistent tears as I pounced on Jacob, hugging him tight.

"I'll miss you too," I said into his ear, my voice cracking at "too".

"Don't cry, Bella," he whispered, wiping the tear. "Be happy."

Those two words affected me more than they normally would have. I suddenly remembered back to when I had been considering kissing Jacob when Edward was gone. I had just begun to heal, and I hadn't made the decision yet between abandoning my broken heart for Edward or finding new love in Jacob, but Edward's voice in my head had assured me to be happy and choose Jacob.

"I want you to be happy, too," I murmured.

"I will be," he promised, smiling at me reassuringly. "Have a nice life."

"I'll come visit," I pledged.

"It would probably be better if you didn't," he said, looking uncomfortable.

I laughed. "I can take you."

"Can your precious Cullens take a pack of ten werewolves?" he teased.

"Oh, any day," I scoffed.

He nodded, smiling widely. "I won't forget."

"Neither will I," I murmured. The conversation had closed an important door with Jacob and opened an imperative one with Edward, one that had been delayed far too long in my opinion. I clasped Jacob's hand in mine, smiled slightly at him, and stood up to leave. Heartbreakingly enough, as I began to walk away, I heard Jacob murmur, "Bye, Bella."

I hesitated for a second, but then I continued to make my way towards Edward. He instantly knew how I was feeling and wrapped his arms around me comfortingly.

"We're finally married," he whispered.

I grinned. "I'm so excited."

"Me too," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I playfully whacked him on the shoulder, but instantly regretted it when I felt my hand throbbing. He chuckled at my pained expression and my constant wincing and took my hand in his. His temperature instantly soothed my hand and I giggled.

"Thanks, hubby," I said, the foreignness of the term making my lips tingle as it slipped out.

"Anytime," he murmured, leaning down to kiss me, my hand still in his.

"Bella!" the multiple voices surprised me and I jumped a little. I broke away from Edward reluctantly and turned to face Alice, Esme, Rosalie, Angela, and (surprisingly) Jessica. All looked ecstatic, and I hugged all of them multiple times except Rosalie. After an awkward pause, Rosalie unenthusiastically gave me a one armed hug.

"Thanks, Rosalie," I said sincerely.

"Anytime," she muttered, sounding bored. "Sis."

I had just began to turn back to Edward when I heard that last bit, and I faced Rosalie in awe. "Did you just call me sis?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, I might as well accept it. You're family now," she replied.

"Oh!" I cried, hugging her around the neck. She looked shocked, but awkwardly returned my embrace. After the sufficiently awkward business was over, me and Edward headed to his Volvo, where I burst into laughter at the sight of the cans tied to strings, hanging from the Volvo's bumper and the large text on the back windshield that read "Just Married."

"Do you like it?" Edward asked, grinning.

"I love it," I managed between laughs.

"It was Alice's idea," he said.

I nodded. Suddenly, we heard a door close behind us, and I turned to a vivacious Alice.

"I heard my name," she admitted.

Edward chuckled and left us alone, ambling to the door and making his way back in, probably to talk to his family. I faced Alice, bracing myself for an explosion. All I got was her excitement, so I figured she'd let it go.

"I came to say goodbye," she said sweetly.

"You're not going to say 'I told you so'?" I said mockingly.

She chuckled. "No, I think you've already been through enough without my help."

I nodded, agreeing with her, and she took my hand and we walked over to the steps together. I really regretted saying goodbye, even though it wouldn't be permanent.

"Alice, thank you so much for planning basically everything for me. I couldn't ask for a better wedding planner or maid of honor or best friend. And now 'sister-in-law' is added onto that list. Just...thank you," I said.

Her smile grew wider as I finished my speech, and she wrapped her arms around me gingerly. Her head rested on my shoulder and she sighed before he sat up.

"I've had so much fun planning everything, and I hate to see it end. But I see how happy you both make eachother, so it hasn't been for nothing. And if I've helped your happiness grow in any way, it's all been worth it," she explained. Our last hug would not be final, but it was still emotional, and I felt like hugging Alice tight would be the only way to ensure her that I would miss her sleepovers and obsessive wedding planning methods and makeovers.

"I love you, Alice," I said into her pixie hair.

She giggled. "I love you too, sis."

I laughed with her and we stood up together. I waved to her and sauntered towards the Volvo where Edward was waiting, his eyes intense as he opened the door for me.

"Are you ready?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked down at me in the comfortable seats.

"If you'll be with me, I'm ready for anything," I said firmly.

He smiled and closed the door. I sighed and looked out the windshield up to the stars. Edward climbed into the driver's seat and turned the keys in the ignition and revved the engine. The engine purred, and Edward placed his hand over mine on the console.

"Edward," I murmured.

"Yes?" he asked, looking at me sideways through his eyelashes. He smiled crookedly when I stalled, due to my thoughts getting scattered by his scorching eyes.

Instead of saying anything, I simply leaned my body against the console and satisfied my powerful urge to kiss him. He smiled as I continued to press my lips against his gingerly.

"We should go," he said finally, breaking a silence that had been saturated with love.

I nodded, and he shifted into DRIVE, glancing at me quickly before he began to drive away from the church. I could hear both the cheering at the church for us and the sound of the cans clanking around at the back of the Volvo and I sighed.

Tonight was the beginning of forever. And I'm jumping in headfirst.

**That was a looooooooooooooooong chapter. Not to mention a fun**** chapter. I hope you enjoyed that, and I've been debating as to whether or not to continue the story or end it here, so review if you think I should keep going or end it here. Also review to tell me what you thought of the wedding, if you thought it was sweet/cute/sappy etc. Thanks for reading!**

**Oh, and if any of you are unsure as to whether or not to see **_**The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian**_**, go see it. It's amazing, and Willam Moseley (Peter) is a gorgeous boy. Not to mention that Skandar Keyes and Ben Barnes are sexy too. Okay, I'm done :)**


	29. Rooster Hill

Chapter 29: Rooster Hill

I immediately took the billion dollar heels off my aching feet and sighed happily. Of course, Edward noticed, and he glanced at me curiously.

"What?" he asked, grinning at me.

"Nothing," I lied, closing my eyes so he couldn't use them against me.

The car suddenly stopped, and we were stationary for an immeasurable period of time before I felt Edward's cool breath begin to tickle my neck. I swatted at the air and missed. Edward chuckled, and the prickling sensation didn't stop. I felt around blindly with my hand until I felt Edward's face under my palm and I pushed it away.

He laughed quietly and then went silent again. When I felt his breath on my neck for the second time, I opened my eyes to see his gazing into mine. I could tell he would wait out my stubbornness patiently.

"Won't you tell your _husband_ what's wrong?" he asked. Oh, I see. As if the guilt would overpower me into spilling my guts.

"Not a chance," I said obstinately, narrowing my eyes.

"Good to know," he muttered under his breath, leaning away from me. Suddenly he sighed sadly.

"What?" I demanded, annoyed.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that my wife won't tell me what's bothering her, and I thought that marriage was about being honest with eachother," he explained, looking at me slyly.

I narrowed my eyes into slits and stuck my tongue out at him.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled before he began to drive again. I watched the trees fly by us.

"So where are we going for our honeymoon?" I asked, glancing over at him.

He said nothing in return.

"Oh, come on," I said mockingly. "You're not seriously ignoring me, are you?"

No response.

"Wow, it's official. I married an eight year old trapped in a seventeen year old's body," I muttered.

He pretended as if he couldn't hear me.

"Fine, I'll tell you!" I finally snapped. "I hurt my ankle really bad when I stepped out of the limo but I didn't want to tell anybody and the heels Alice picked out certainly didn't help."

Edward pulled over. "I cannot believe you waited until we drove away from a doctor to tell me this," he exclaimed in disbelief. He held his hand out to me, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably in order to give him control of my foot. As soon as his hands touched my skin, I relaxed a little.

"Well, I didn't want to cause a scene!" I wailed.

He looked at me like I was mentally handicapped.

"Okay, maybe I already caused a scene," I admitted in defeat. "But I didn't want to add my ankle on top of that. And besides, haven't you been to medical school twice already?"

He glowered at me. "That doesn't mean I know how to diagnose this in a dark sportscar." I winced suddenly as his thumb pressed into my ankle, but he didn't falter. His finger moved a fraction of an inch before he poked it again, and I yelped in pain.

"Sorry," he said, glancing up at me apologetically.

"So what should I do?" I asked quietly.

He shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure of where the nearest hospital is. Would you rather wait until we see Carlisle next?"

I froze. "When will we be seeing Carlisle?"

"The day I change you. I can't do it alone," he explained.

"Who else will be there?" I pried.

"Probably my whole family," he replied, looking uncertain.

"Can I wait?" I asked hopefully.

He stared at me before saying, "It's _your _ankle."

"True," I muttered. "I'll wait."

He nodded and pressed his lips together before he pulled back onto the road. I watched the trees fly past us, and then I turned to gauge Edward's expression. His face was serene, but his gaze didn't shift from the road when I asked him an important question.

"Edward, can you promise me that we will _try_ it before you change me? Is it wrong to want a real honeymoon on my wedding night?" I shifted uncomfortably in my seat at the awkwardness of the question.

His eyes met mine for a split second, and he looked indignant, but he replied, "Promise."

I clasped his hand in mine, and his eyes ocher eyes grew softer.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He leaned over and kissed me. "You're welcome, Mrs. Cullen."

I giggled. "Wow," I sighed. "Say that again."

"Mrs. Cullen," he repeated, smiling crookedly. I opened my mouth to order him to say it again, but he beat me to it.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen."

I squealed out loud. "I love you too, Mr. Cullen."

The moment was only ruined by my unending curiousity, and I couldn't take it anymore. "Please tell me where we're going," I begged, my own desperation surprising me just a little. He glanced at me for a moment and then turned back to the road, unwilling to face my pleading eyes.

"Patience, Bella," he finally muttered.

I groaned and fell back into my seat. "You suck."

"Do you trust me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Our gaze locked for a second, and I was lost in his intense eyes.

"Of course," I said, but it came out like a twisted sigh.

"Good." He smiled victoriously, and I realized he'd won. Damn those hypnotizing eyes of his! After a while of silent driving, I reached in my bag for my cell phone and opened it, but there was no service. My brow furrowed in confusion, and Edward's thorough eyes noticed.

"No reception?" he guessed.

I nodded, pressing my lips together. He dug in the pocket of his pants and handed me his cell phone. I opened it and dialed Alice's number; I was particularly bored and wanted to ask her how things were going back at home.

"Hello?" came the windchime voice on the other side.

"Alice!" I said happily.

"Bella!" she repeated my enthusiasm.

"How is everything over there?" I asked, tracing a floral pattern on the fabric of my dress absentmindedly.

"Perfect. Wonderful. Great. Emmett says to have fun," her voice was dripping with implications, and I heard Edward snicker beside me. I glowered at him, and he struggled to compose his face. It was a worthless effort. After a few seconds of angry stares from me, he winked.

"So, Alice," I lowered my voice in an even more worthless effort. "Any ideas of where Edward is taking me?"

Edward laughed loudly and suddenly the phone disappeared from my hand. I was positive I had somehow lost it in half a second until I noticed that Edward was holding it beside his ear.

"Alice, if you tell her _anything_ I will hurt you," he said menacingly. I could hear a trace of joking in his voice, but he growled playfully into the phone before he handed it back to me.

"Alice, are you really going to let him push you around? Tell me!" I pleaded. Edward raised his eyebrows at me skeptically, but he didn't say anything.

"Sorry, Bella, but he can easily confiscate my Porsche when he comes back. You're own your own," she said. Traitor. Edward laughed at my defeated expression, and I nearly hung up on Alice before I heard her start "coughing".

"Hawaii! Hawaii!" she hacked. I noticed Edward's expression change from smug to furious, and I giggled. I heard her clear her throat and she said, "Sorry about that. I had a little _cough_ to take care of!"

And then the line went dead.

I noticed Edward's teeth were clenched and his nostrils were flared. The skin on his knuckles was stretched so tightly I was afraid it would tear as he gripped the wheel angrily. I reached over and rumpled his hair and tried to ignore the ominous glare he shot me.

"What?" I demanded defensively. "I didn't ask her to say it!"

He exhaled sharply, seeming to calm down a little. "I'm sorry. It was supposed to be a surprise, since we never actually had a place set in stone. I've been planning it for a few days now, so of course Alice heard about it."

I nodded, trying to absorb it. "So what island are we going to?"

"Not telling," he said swiftly. "Oh, and by the way--" stopping midsentence, his hand flicked out and suddenly tousled my hair, but he didn't do much damage due to the ten cans of hairspray Alice had unleashed on me.

"Wow," he commented, trying to fix the textured piece of hair he had caused to stand on end.

"Blame Alice," I grumbled as he continued to fix my hair.

"Funny, but it seems like there's a lot to blame Alice for," he pointed out, smiling at me crookedly as he placed his hand back on the steering wheel. "But there's a lot to thank her for, also."

"Like taking care of absolutely everything for me?" I offered.

"Precisely," he confirmed. "Besides, we can take another shower and that will fix your hair." I nearly gasped at how casually he suggested a shower together, and now that we were married, he didn't have to hold back as much.

I nodded finally, still a tad stunned.

After a few minutes of silence, I noticed that we were in Port Angeles by now. It finally dawned on me that we were headed to the airport, and I was a little perturbed by that.

"Edward, wait," I said firmly.

He looked a little confused, but he slowed the car to a stop.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Are we going straight to the airport?" I asked, cringing internally as I waited for his answer. I didn't particularly want to spend my wedding night in a crowded airport and surrounded by noisy passengers.

"No, we're staying somewhere for the night," he explained, winking.

"Where--" I began, but he placed his finger over my lips and stopped me.

"Shhh," he murmured. He removed his finger and replaced it with his lips, and that would suffice for me. When he pulled away, he continued, "You're going to love it."

"How do you know that?" I asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Blame Alice," he said, repeating my words. He began to drive again, and I watched as he turned in front of what looked like an enormous house, but I realized suddenly that it was a bed and breakfast. He parked the Volvo underneath a white canopy held up by columns that circled the majority of the house.

"Wow," I gasped.

He chuckled and met me at my door before I could even reach to the handle, and instead of letting me wrestle my heels on again, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me bridal style.

I giggled as he carried me effortlessly up the stairs onto the front porch and to the door. As he opened it up, still managing to support me flawlessly, he murmured, "Welcome to the Inn at Rooster Hill."

He leaned down and kissed me as he carried me in, and up the stairs. When he deposited me on the bed, I examined the room thoroughly

"I'm going to go get the stuff from the car," he explained, heading out the door.

"Wait!" I cried, trying to hop off the bed.

"Bella," he scolded, catching me as I tried to make it over to him on one foot. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his, whispering his name once.

"Stay for a second," I murmured.

He didn't object further, just wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up, never breaking the kiss as he slowly started to spin me. I was already beyond dizzy, but I ignored it.

"Mmmm," I mumbled. He tasted so good.

"Wait here," Edward ordered, placing me on the bed again. He was gone for a few seconds, and returned with two black slippers in his hands. He tossed them onto the floor beside the bed, and I glowered at him.

"Just wear them," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

I slipped my feet into them and marveled at their softness, and I met Edward at the door to our room. He took my hand fluidly as we went down the stairs, and he retrieved about nine tenths of everything we needed from the car while I only carried the one bag I had retrieved my cell phone from.

He set the things down on the floor of our room and then surprised me by tackling me playfully on the bed, pinning me down in a desirable confinement. He nuzzled my neck with his nose and chuckled as I gasped and my breathing stopped. I arched my back and froze in place, and he took this as an opportunity to kiss my neck.

I waited until he had finished to start breathing again, and he kissed my neck quickly one more time before he grinned and suggested, "Let's go change."

I nodded and began to dig in my bags for something suitable to wear on my pre-honeymoon wedding night stay. I groaned as I searched in a futile attempt at finding something suitable to wear. I came across a folded piece of paper in my bag and unfolded it cautiously. In Alice's handwriting, it read:

_Bella, I hope you're having fun so far! Since you are hopeless at finding the perfect outfit to wear under a lot of pressure, maybe you would like some suggestions. I strongly reccomend that while you're at the Inn, you put on the blue pajama set I packed for you. I hope you like them! Don't read any further until the next morning, so close this now unless you want me to face Edward's wrath. Alice. _

I sighed, a laugh getting mixed into it, and retrieved the matching pajama set Alice had packed for me. I straightened it out on the bed and examined it thoroughly before I burst into laughter at the inside joke. The design on the pajamas was the Lion King's Simba, and Alice enjoyed teasing me by dressing me in a cartoon character I'd been told so closely resembled my husband.

I was still exploding in fits of laughter while I pulled on the pajamas and opened the door. Edward walked in, smirking at me as his eyes appraised me, and the giggles started all over again. He rolled his eyes as he swooped me up and threw me over his shoulder swiftly. As soon as I had gotten comfortable up on his shoulder, he had tossed me down onto the bed, and restrained me underneath his body like before.

"Where were we?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"About here," I replied, reaching up to imitate the way he'd kissed my neck. His breathing grew shallow and slowed, and somehow I ended up on top of him. I was straddling him, and I leaned down to place my ear on his cool chest. He had changed into a flannel shirt and a pair of fleece pants, and his shirt was unbuttoned about halfway down. As I rested my head on his cool chest, I could only hear his breathing.

I began to realize how tired I was as I curled into his perfect body, and I yawned. I had my hands wrapped around his torso tightly, and he scrutinized me as I closed my eyes and began to drift off to sleep...

"Bella?" he asked quietly. Unwillingly, my eyes fluttered open.

"Yes?" I said, glancing up at him. His eyes were amused, but mine were clouded over with tiredness.

"Don't you want to try tonight?" he asked, looking a little shocked that I hadn't attempted to jump his bones as soon as we'd made it into the room.

I snuggled up against him again and replied, "Not tonight. Too tired."

He chuckled, deep in his chest, and it was a pleasant sound that had magnified in my ear. I shifted a little on top of him, ignoring it as he tried to cover me with a blanket so his cool body temperature didn't freeze me to death. Before I had completely fallen asleep, I whispered, "I love you, Edward."

He hesitated for a moment. "Are you asleep?"

"No. Still awake," I replied, smiling. My eyes were still closed, but I could feel his looking down on me.

"Oh. Well, I love you too," he murmured. He dropped his head and I felt his lips on my hair. "Good night, Bella."

"Good night," I sighed, finally falling completely asleep in the arms of my love. We were together. Finally.

When I opened my eyes to the sunlight beaming down at me, I rubbed my eyes with my fists and sat up. I glanced around and noticed Edward sitting in a small chair across from the bed, and he wasn't completely aware that I was awake. I shifted silently towards the end of the bed and reached towards him with my foot. Right before I nudged him with it, he turned and caught my ankle in his hand, grinning at me.

"Good morning," he said pleasantly.

I narrowed my eyes at him and grumbled, "Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, taking my hand as he helped me off the tall bed. I slipped my cold feet into the slippers on the floor, and nodded at Edward.

"Breakfast is served," he announced, leading me downstairs and towards the fireplace, where a stack of pancakes was waiting.

"Did you cook these?" I accused, savoring my first bite.

He smiled and shook his head. "Silly Bella. They're complimentary."

I rolled my eyes and took a bite as I crossed the room and plopped down on the couch. Edward fetched the remote and joined me. I had already finished two pancakes when Edward turned the TV on and began channel flipping. I took a large bite and stuffed it in my mouth, and my mouth was still half-full when I asked, "What time does our flight leave today?"

"Two hours," Edward answered nonchalantly.

I spat my mouthful of pancake over the coffee table in disbelief, which startled Edward. "Two hours?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes," Edward said slowly. "What's wrong?"

"I still have to take a shower and then we have to get dressed, and by the time it takes to drive to the airport, then stand in line, and then board the plane, there won't be any time to relax!" The words came out so fast even I barely understood them. Edward waited until I was finished patiently.

"Bella, calm down. There's plenty of time. Finish your breakfast," he ordered. He got to his feet and bounded up the stairs. I watched as he left and listened intently. My brow furrowed as I heard the squeaking of the bath being turned on, and I set my pancakes down on the coffee table and made my way up the stairs to check on Edward.

"Edward?" I asked, knocking on the door of the bathroom the shower was running in. It creaked open underneath my knuckles, and I cautiously stepped in, glancing beside me. The water was running in the shower, and I hastily pushed the curtain aside with one swipe of my hand. The shower was empty.

"Edward?" I repeated, quieter.

I felt arms wrap around my waist, and I knew instantly that it was him.

"You want to join me?" he asked. I tilted my head back to look up at him, and he was watching me intently with amused eyes.

"If it's okay, I'd like to wait until Hawaii. I'm just not ready," I explained. His face fell, but he didn't object, and he kissed the top of my head before he lightly pushed me out of the bathroom and closed the door. I hoped I hadn't offended him; I just really wanted some time to think.

I crossed the hall to a foreign bedroom, and I sighed at the cozy feeling this room was radiating. I glanced at the wall behind the bed, which had a small window with sunlight peeking in. Three hats were hanging in a line on the wall to the right, and on the left was a nightstand and a picture of Mary above it on the wall. I splayed myself across the bed and snuggled up in the warmth of the many layers, and found myself more tired than I'd thought.

I yawned, closed my eyes, and everything went black.

"Bella?" I heard the voice from down the hall, and it sounded alarmed. I opened my eyes and hopped out of bed without thinking.

"OUCH!" I shouted as I limped around on my now-throbbing ankle.

"You hurt yourself?" Edward asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway, only wrapped in a towel around his waist. I gasped at his utter perfection, but my face didn't crumple in agony at how much more perfect he was than me, it was too busy reacting to the shooting pain in my ankle.

"Of course I did," I muttered as I sat down, wincing.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He suddenly wrapped his arms around me, and I was surprisingly uncomfortable for a few seconds before I realized that this wasn't forbidden territory anymore; he was my husband.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"We've got a little more than an hour before we have to leave, so go get ready," he said. I nodded and began to shamble out into the hallway before I felt his arms around me again to carry me into the room.

"I'm not a baby," I huffed.

"You're right," he murmured. "But you're mine. And I don't want you hurt."

I smiled at his protectiveness, and I kissed his cheek before he set me down next to my bags. I unfolded the note again that Alice left.

_Good morning, Bella! If you're reading this, I'll be happy to know that you survived a night married to my brother! Good for you!_--I grimaced at that, but continued reading--_Today is the day you leave for your flight! I will tell you honestly, you want to be extremely comfortable on the plane. Try not to dress for extremely cold weather, because as you probably know, Hawaii is very hot. So settle for the green short sleeve button-down henley and the lace camisole. You might just want to pair it with your comfortable jeans and some sneakers, since you don't want your feet to hurt. _Too late, I thought._ If you resisted the urge to read on yesterday, than I applaud you and hope that for my sake, you do the same today. You can read on when you actually get to your cottage in Hawaii. And if I say anymore, I will be ripped to pieces. So have fun! Alice._

I sighed. She was a controlling little thing, but I was appreciative. What would I do without her fashion expertise? I wadded my clothes into a ball and grabbed my bag of travel toiletries before I headed into the bathroom. I started the water and yanked my hair out of the tight topknot it had been in. As the water heated up, I stripped out of my pajamas and left them on the floor.

I stepped into the shower hesitantly, not wanting to slip and fall and injure myself any further. I slathered on shampoo and raked my nails all over my long mane of sopping wet hair and then rinsed it out. I also piled on the conditioner to make up for the huge amount of tangles Alice's hairspray had inflicted on my hair and shaved my legs. The glass in the bathroom was clouded, and I had just realized how steamy the bathroom was. I sighed as I towled myself off hastily and then wrapped it around myself while I combed my hair's tangles out.

I attempted to toweldry my hair pointlessly, and then gave up, surrendering my efforts to putting my clothes on and eventually blowdrying it. It was bone dry when I hopped back into the bedroom, my pajamas balled up into my hands, and stuffed them back into my bag.

"Edward?" I called anxiously.

I heard him mumble, "Hmm?" and I instantly felt relieved. He showed up in the doorway, his eyes bright. His hair was still a little damp from the shower, but he still resembled a Greek god.

"You rang?" he asked.

"Just wondering where you were. How much time left?"

He looked unsure. "I think we need to be there in a little less than half an hour. You took a while in the bathroom," he said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe I was busy," I said defensively.

"Oh," he didn't look convinced. "Doing what?"

I scoffed at him. "Stuff," I replied, feeling my face heat up.

He nodded, and then laughed before he walked back into the hallway. I zipped up my duffel bag and began to put my shoes on before I realized it was a worthless effort trying to put sneakers on my right foot. My ankle had swollen up on the outside, and it was very painful to even attempt it. I gave up on the sneakers and searched for some different shoes, and settled for a pair of flip flops I had no memory of ever owning previously.

Edward began to pack the bags into the car and I sat feebly on the private deck outside our room. I watched him with a goofy smile plastered on my face and I sighed. This place was nice and homey, but it certainly wasn't Hawaii, and I can't deny my excitement.

The midday sun was shadowed by the clouds, and I hoisted myself out of my chair and met Edward by the Volvo.

He drove to the Port Angeles airport, where a half-hour was wasted, and we finally boarded our plane to Hawaii. I sighed as I collapsed into my seat and snuggled up to Edward's arm. He chuckled and delicately touched my cheek with his finger. I was positive that he was going to kiss me, our faces just a half inch apart, when the flight attendant interrupted and I flinched back.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked us both, mostly keeping her gaze locked on Edward.

"Nothing for me, but thank you," Edward said politely. I could see in his tawny eyes that he was a little annoyed by the interruption, but it wasn't obvious to anyone else's eyes.

"And you, sweetie?" she turned to me reluctantly.

"Water, please," I replied, smiling in return. She left swiftly, and Edward waited until she reappeared to get closer to me.

"Aww," I said to Edward, enjoying the look on his face as he scrutinized me. He raised his eyebrows and looked at me with confusion blatantly apparent in his eyes. I tapped his nose with my fingertip, and the corner of his lips twitched.

"You're cute when you're crabby," I commented.

He rolled his eyes. "Get some sleep, Bella."

I glowered at him, but in a matter of a few minutes, I did.

I woke up ten minutes before we landed in Kauai, where I figured we would be staying. Edward was tensing up in his seat, and I put my arms around him and kissed the cold skin on his neck, feeling his jaw muscles relax under my lips. He clasped my hand in his and his lips pulled into my favorite uneven smile as we stood and took our carry-on items with us as we got off the plane. We fetched our luggage and headed to the rental car area.

"Tell me where we're going!" I pleaded as we piled into the rental Sienna.

"It's a nice little place called Blue Anini Cottage," he replied, studying my face. I merely reached over and rubbed his arm, smiling at him. We were already in North Shore in Kauai, so I figured that we were closeby. We were quickly approaching a colorful cottage surrounded by lush green grass and plentiful trees and plants. A small garden in front of the porch was contained by logs, and the porch was hooded and shady. I gasped when he parked in front of the small cottage and grinned at me, his eyes amused.

"It's beautiful!" I gushed.

"I know," he said smugly, opening his door. I stepped out of the rental car and stretched momentarily, enjoying the sunlight beaming down on me. The sand only a few feet away from the cottage was gleaming and pristine, and the water was clear and blue. Thick trees and vegetation were only a few minutes away, and I gazed out into the Kalihiwai Bay and towards the high perched cottages on the tall green hills a few miles away.

"Oh Bella?" Edward called. I whirled to see him poking his head out of the screen door, and I dashed onto the porch and into his arms. He kissed the top of my head and dragged me inside, giving me a tour. The living room was furnished with two identical tan couches and a wooden coffee table in front of them. Beside the coffee table was a small dining area, with a glass table surrounded by four straw chairs. The kitchen area had wooden cabinets and a granite counter.

Edward led me into the master suite, and the walls were a cool aqua color. There was a lamp perched on the hard-wood floor, the large bed with a brown and white palm frond pattern, a wooden dresser on the wall with a palm frond above it, and a large window across from the bed that let sunlight peek in. The bathroom was small, but clean, and there was a washer/dryer behind a door in the living room.

To put it lightly, I was speechless.

"It's perfect," I commented.

"Yes, it is," Edward added, leaning down to kiss me lightly.

****

This was basically a fluff chapter. The Inn at Rooster Hill and the Blue Anini Cottage are real. The Inn actually does exist in Port Angeles, WA. And the Blue Anini Cottage is a BEAUTIFUL cottage I found that exists in North Shore of Kauai, Hawaii. I really want to go to Blue Anini cottage, it looks so beautiful! And don't you just love Alice? Anyways, it gets more exciting next chapter, so tell me what you think!


	30. One

**Lemon: Adult Content**

Chapter 30: One

I sighed as I tucked my hair behind my ears and looked up at Edward. He was gazing out the window to the sunny beach, and I took his hands in mine to get his attention. It worked.

"So...what do you want to do?" I asked.

He shrugged, grinning at me. "It's nearly nighttime, and there will be a surprise waiting for us on the beach at sunset. Until then, we have the time all to ourselves."

The thought made me smile. "What's the surprise?"

He chuckled. "Of course you would ask. Patience."

I narrowed my eyes at him and darted to the master suite where I dove onto the bed. I sprawled my limbs out to cover the entire surface, and when Edward joined me, he cocked his eyebrow as if he was challenging my motives. I stuck my tongue out at him and got comfortable, but it was abruptly halted while I watched Edward saunter over to the side of the bed. I became alarmed when he gathered the ends of the blanket in his hands. He lifted it up slowly, but then swiftly yanked it towards himself and I went toppling off the edge of the bed.

I hoisted myself up determinedly, only to find Edward relaxed in my spot, his grin swollen with his pride. I rolled my eyes and stomped to the living room, onto one of the twin couches. Edward followed close behind me, and settled himself on the other couch. I glowered at him, and his eyes met mine with a stubborn glint in them.

"What do you want to do?" he asked quietly.

"Come here and I'll tell you," I replied, looking at him sideways.

He thought it over for a second, then joined me.

"Now what?" he asked, facing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap until I was straddling him. His eyes flashed shock, but then pleasure as I softly kissed his neck. His hands rested on my thighs, and he pulled me closer to him as my kisses trailed up to his lips. I hesitated for a second, debating internally as to whether we should go further tonight, and then softly pressed my lips against his. The kiss was harmonic and sensual, but not quite intimate. Before it got any further, Edward intervened.

"Bella," Edward murmured quietly.

"Yes?" I whispered.

"Later." He lifted me off his lap and sat me beside him. Did this have something to do with the surprise? I figured it would be best not to insist that we dive right into sex right now and just be patient. I playfully rumpled his hair, and he smirked at me before tackling me down on the couch. I found myself underneath his body, and I wasn't complaining. My breathing slowed, and I came to the realization that the playfulness had just disappeared.

Edward's eyes were intense as he lowered his head to kiss me slowly. I felt my heart thud in my chest, egging me on. I returned the passion he offered to me with his lips, and he smiled before I felt his tongue along my bottom lip. I granted him entrance, and he explored my mouth with his eager tongue. I arched my back, pressing my body firmly against his stone figure.

I shivered suddenly as his hand grazed my stomach, and he reflexively stiffened. In response, I kissed underneath his jaw, and the tension disappeared.

"You can't imagine how that feels," he murmured.

"So show me," I replied, craning my neck to expose my throat to him. He gulped and hesitated before he stopped completely.

"Not yet, Bella."

I sighed and sat up. He untangled his body from mine and trudged out onto the porch. His reaction stung a little, but I joined him on the shady terrace despite the pain. He rested his hands on the railing and was leaned on it as he looked out onto the beach. When I appeared next to him, his arm wrapped around me and pulled me close to him to kiss the top of my head.

I gazed out onto the horizon, where the sun was slowly beginning to make its way down. Edward's arm moved until his hand took mine.

"Get dressed for the surprise," he said. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he elaborated. "Alice has instructions."

I nodded, my brow still furrowed in confusion, and then suddenly remembered that I was supposed to read it as soon as we'd gotten to the cottage. I tore my hand from his suddenly and bolted inside before I proceeded to dig furiously through my bags until I had retrieved the note.

_Bella, by now you're at the cottage. If you have not had much fun yet, I guarantee that tonight you will. Edward has a surprise for you, and it will involve a little black dress and those pretty black heels I packed in there. If you would rather go without heels, there is also a pair of black sandals with the braided straps. Wear whichever one. We hope Hawaii is perfect. Jasper says he misses all the sexual tension that you and Edward produced back at home. Haha, we hope you have fun tonight, and you can read ahead in the morning. Alice. _

I rolled my eyes and tossed the note aside. I laid the little black dress across the bed and groaned loudly. It was a relatively simple knee-length black halter dress when you just examined it from the front; however, as soon as you turned it over, you notice the opening in the back with the criss-crossing straps. I figured that with Alice it could've been much worse, so I carried the dress and sandals into the bathroom. I stripped out of my current clothes and underwear and hopped into the shower quickly.

The shower was very speedy. I turned the water off and toweled myself off hastily. I slipped into the dress and the black sandals. I was secretly pining for a coat, since I felt uncomfortable in just my dress. As soon as I felt the temperature outside, that yearning disappeared. I stopped in midstep when I spotted Edward, and it was a struggle to scrape my jaw off the floor.

Edward was dressed in a dark navy blue blazer with a light blue dress shirt underneath, and his pants matched his blazer. I sighed, and he grinned at me.

"You look stunning," he commented, his hand drifting to the small of my back.

"So do you," I said, mesmerized by his blatant perfection.

He chuckled and led us out the door. We walked down the beach for a few minutes, and in those few minutes my one track mind wouldn't stop focusing on the surprise Edward had mentioned. Alice knew about it, too, but I couldn't imagine what we would be doing on the beach.

Finally I walked in front of him, looked him straight in the eye and demanded, "Tell me the surprise!"

He took my hand. "Why would I need to tell you when it's right behind you?" he asked, twirling me around. A few feet in front of us was a small round dinner table with a white tablecloth and two chairs surrounding it. There were scented flowers floating in water, and two tall candles with the flames gently flickering.

"You are just too perfect," I breathed.

"Wrong again," he murmured, squeezing my hand in his. "Maybe were only perfect together?"

"Of course," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"You know," he began, "there's another surprise for you later tonight."

My jaw dropped, and he seemed satisfied by the reaction he had been anticipating. He chuckled. "You will find out after dinner. Eat," he ordered, his voice firm.

I pouted, sat down angrily, and began to nibble on the food that just seemed to be yet another obstacle standing in the way of my neverending surprises. As much as I wanted to be indignant, it was almost impossible to sustain angriness when he showered me with love and affection.

Edward had a full plate in front of him, but he didn't even so much as look at it.

"Are you going to eat that?" I asked teasingly.

He raised his eyebrows, and I instantly realized that he would down that entire plate just to prove me wrong. My eyes widened in horror and shock as he lifted his fork and knife and began to cut off a piece of his steak. His hands were so delicate and flawless in everything, table manners included. He lifted the steak to his mouth and then began to chew it.

I watched intently as he not only swallowed the first piece, but then effortlessly began to ingest the entire steak. I had nearly lost my appetite, and I pushed my plate away from me.

"Are you going to eat that?" Edward asked, mocking me as he threatened to steal my plate and eat my own nearly-intact steak.

"Haha, very funny," I muttered.

Edward's carefully constructed charade finally ceased when he grimaced. "I don't know how you can stand to eat that without your stomach turning. Where's the fun in _cooked _meat?" he grumbled, wiping his hands in his napkin with an appalled scowl on his face.

"I don't know. Perhaps it's because it's because bloody meat is unappealing?" I suggested sarcastically, and his grimace turned into a glower. I smiled widely at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"You just wait. Bloody meat will be the only thing you will want soon enough," he muttered, leaning back in his chair. He had spoken so quietly I wasn't sure if I was meant to hear, but since the only other sound surrounding us was the waves lapping and the salty wind blowing, it wasn't hard to overhear.

"Speaking of 'soon enough', when is that going to happen?" I asked, hearing the curiosity dotting my voice. I perched my fist underneath my chin and leaned towards him, eagerly awaiting his answer.

"Soon, Bella," he answered vaguely.

"Why won't you tell me when?" I demanded.

He glanced at me, irritation blantantly visible in his darkening eyes. "I don't want you to worry," he hissed.

"I'm worried _now_," I pointed out, annoyed.

"Don't be," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"_You _don't be so vague," I muttered.

His eyes met mine, and his eyebrows were raised in disbelief. "Do you really want to know the day you will die?" he asked incredulously

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "Yes," I lied, sitting back.

"Tonight," he simply replied.

"What?!" I demanded, nearly leaping over the table.

"You wanted to know," he pointed out, raising his hands up in the air for defense.

"I didn't think it would be tonight!" I exclaimed, still dazed. His marble face remained completely serious until the corner of his lip twitched and the fits of laughter began.

"What?!" I snapped, exasperated beyond belief now.

"You actually think I'm going to change you in a tiny cottage in Hawaii and then put you in a plane full of human passengers with buckets of blood you will be craving for desperately?" he asked sarcastically.

"Um," I began. "Maybe?"

"Give me some credit, Bella," he said, rolling his eyes. "We're going home for that." My tense muscles would have relaxed, my hyperventilation would have stopped, and my heartbeat would slow down to a healthy pace in any other situation, but I wasn't even sure where home _was_, since I was positive we couldn't stay in Forks. Edward was still smirking at me, occaisonally cracking up every moment.

"Where is home?" I asked quietly. The smirk disappeared.

He didn't answer.

"You don't know?" I demanded.

He pursed his lips and glanced up at me to gauge my reaction. "Alaska," he finally replied. "There are lots of woods up there, very few humans, and that way in the fall we will be able to attend the University of Alaska together in the fall."

I nodded, absorbing it.

"When are we leaving Hawaii?" I asked, not certain if I wanted to hear the answer. Was the beauty of this gorgeous island worth the postponement of an eternity with Edward?

"Whenever," he muttered. He looked sullen for a few seconds before his eyes brightened and he turned to me. "Are you done yet?"

I hoisted myself up, ignoring the pain in my ankle, and mockingly asked, "I think the real question is, are _you_ done yet?"

He glowered at me. "More than done. Please never make me ingest that despicable dribble you call food ever again." I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arm around his waist, walking beside him back to the cottage steps.

"This was perfect, Edward," I sighed.

"I'm glad you liked it," he said, kissing the top of my head.

Realization struck me, and I whirled to face Edward. He was a little startled, but he didn't object. "You said I would get my surprise after dinner! It's after dinner now, so spill!" I ordered, wagging my finger in his face. He smiled crookedly and chuckled deep in his chest before he gathered my pointing hand in his and kissed me. In mid-kiss, he lifted me up and latched me onto him so I was straddling his body.

He began to walk farther onto the porch before the cool air washed over me, and I knew we were inside. He let me down gently, his lips never leaving mine for a second, and I began to force him backwards. I knowingly pushed him back towards the couch until his legs had collided with it, and we fell back onto the cushions together. I had ended up straddling him again.

"Is this the surprise?" I asked, fingering his collar.

"No, but this is," he murmured, suddenly twisting us so he was on top of me. His eyes were fierce and intense, and he leaned on top of me and kissed me passionately, as if every feeling that was visible in his eyes was being poured through his lips.

I unintentionally moaned, and he smiled and chuckled in the kiss. I finally realized the reason that I was moaning was due to the fact that Edward was making my skin tingle as his hands slowly untied the sash on the back of my dress, his body pressed so tightly against mine that it was numbing my body.

His hands moved upwards from underneath me, and the bare skin of my back was left with a prickling sensation as his hands grazed them. I arched my back as his agile hands began to tug my dress upwards. I tried to ignore the shaking of my own hands as I slipped his jacket off his shoulders and unbuttoned his dress shirt. As the patches of pale statue-like skin became more visible the more I unbuttoned, my hands shook more, but I continued until the shirt was stripped from his torso.

"Wow," I breathed.

"Let's continue this in the bedroom," he whispered, rising up fluidly. He held his hand out to me and I took it for support. Before my foot could even touch the floor, he had scooped me up in his strong, bare arms and was carrying me towards the bedroom bridal style. The bareness of his chest was refreshingly icy, and I sighed before he tossed me on the bed. I watched as he unbuttoned his pants and stepped out of them, and I awkwardly moved to slip off my dress.

"Let me," Edward's soft voice murmured in my ear, and my dress was gone, leaving me in just the lingerie Alice had described to me as "perfect". He joined me on the bed and began to kiss me, his fingers kneading my hips softly.

I moaned and arched my back, goosebumps spreading all over every inch of my body. He chuckled and kissed my neck momentarily before trailing kisses downward until he had reached my chest over my heart. He hesitated for a second, testing his strength, and then kissed there too. I gasped and stopped breathing when I felt his hands move behind me and unclasp my bra before that was gone too. I let the breath out, and his lips met mine for a second before he moved down to my remaining underwear, my lacy boyshort. I glanced down at Edward to see he was only wearing blue boxers.

"You ready?" I asked.

He raised one eyebrow as he reached towards my hips, and I reached for his. In a few seconds we were both naked, and he was looking over me with a seductive smile spread across his face. He leaned down and began to kiss down my chest, leaving goosebumps behind. I shivered, and he glanced up at me before he kissed my nipple tenderly. He chuckled at my reaction, which was a lack of breathing, and then kissed the other.

I moaned involuntarily as he kissed his way down my stomach, and it tickled underneath my belly button. His lips gently touched my hip down to my thigh and then he moved sideways. My breath caught in my chest as his hands gently spread my legs.

"Breathe, Bella," he whispered, and I obeyed by inhaling deeply.

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, threatening to burst out of my skin, and that was all I could hear when I felt Edward's finger slip into me. I moaned and gripped the sheet while I watched his smile grow wider.

"I love you, Bella," he murmured, slipping another finger inside of me. I gasped and wiggled my hips, fidgeting in place, urging his fingers in deeper. He obliged for a few seconds before his head leaned down and his fingers disappeared. I felt his icy breath in between my legs, and I shivered, my lip quivering.

He chuckled and leaned down to kiss me in between my legs where it was most tender. Once he was done thoroughly making me melt, he got on his knees and leaned over me.

He was grinning towards me before he tilted his head to the side and kissed me again, so slowly it was almost surreal. His right hand was cradling my face, and his left hand rested on my hip. He slowly removed his lips from mine and lifted his head up, his eyes looking into mine, scattering my thoughts.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly.

Hesitantly, I nodded.

"Are you sure?" his eyes were pleading, but concerned.

"Positive," I replied, pecking his lips reassuringly. I spread my legs for him again and wrapped my hands around his neck, eagerly awaiting the moment I would finally be with Edward, body and soul.

"Bella, I love you," he said finally, before his tip slipped into me and I gasped.

"I love you too!" I exclaimed breathlessly. My nails dug into his back, and I suddenly realized he'd stopped moving. He wasn't fully inside me yet, and he had stopped. It was as if he were reconsidering this, but I didn't want him to stop. Not in a million years.

"Edward, please keep going!" I begged, gripping his back tightly.

"Bella, your virginity," he reminded me. "I don't want to hurt you."

I leaned back, tilting my head back, and waited. "Just do it, Edward," I said. When I felt nothing, I begged, "Please."

"Bella--" he began.

"Please!" I screamed, and he obeyed. I cried out loudly, my fingernails leaving deep marks in his back, and he leaned over me to wipe my tears away. He kissed me reassuringly and he finally began to move inside me. I moaned, forgetting the pain, and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him. In return, he moved further inside me.

"God, I love you, Edward!" I cried in his ear. I leaned down onto my back and we continued to move together in harmony. He thrusted himself at me, and I moaned in pleasure. His icy fingers positioned on my hips were leaving my skin on fire, and I leaned up to kiss him. We continued to move our bodies in synchronization as I passionately moved my lips against his.

"I love you too," he murmured. Suddenly, both his hands were on my face firmly and he pulled away to examine my eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Perfect," I replied before I felt my stomach tighten and it felt like I was on fire. I fell back, moaning, and he looked alarmed for a few seconds before he realized what I was experiencing. He chuckled and leaned over me, still moving with me, and kissed my neck.

The knot in my stomach slowly released and I was left gasping for breath, overwhelmed by the waves of pleasure that were washing over me. I met Edward's hungry lips with mine, and our lips remained glued together while I felt Edward disappear from within me, and he collapsed beside me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked firmly.

"Yes, Edward. I love you and I just had the best experience of my life with the man I love," I replied, kissing his chest. His safe, cold embrace in addition to the sound of my lullaby in my ear lulled me to a deep sleep that I was rejoicing to be spending with my husband.

"How was it for you?" I asked weakly, snuggling into his chest.

He kissed the top of my head. "Phenomenal. Thank you."

I glanced up at him. "For what?"

He chuckled. "For sharing yourself with me."

"You're welcome. I love you," I reminded him.

"I love you, too. Sleep now," he murmured, wrapping his arm around me protectively as I drifted into sleep. My mind was buzzing until the moment my eyes began to flutter closed.

One thing I have always felt with Edward was whole. As if he had stitched me together and there was no chance I would fall apart in his arms. Tonight that had been multiplied by a thousand, and before I closed my eyes, I found the word that described me and Edward fully.

We were _one_.

****

Hello again! I hope you enjoyed that! I was kinda considering ending this story here. I mean, hell-ooo, it's so perfect! It's exactly thirty chapters, and here would be a pretty good place to stop. But I couldn't make myself do it. What else would I do when I'm bored to tears? Well, I am going to stop it here. But there is going to be a...drumroll please...SEQUEL!! Lol yay! So please please PLEEEEEEEEEEASE review and look out for my sequel (which doesn't have a name yet) Bye!


	31. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Hi guys! I know you've been expecting the sequel now. The truth is, I'm under some serious writer's block and I have near to no new ideas. But please don't kill me now, I promise it will be up soon. During my writer's block, an idea popped into my mind and I decided to experiment with a new story. It's been a lot of fun to write, although picking names is a real pain in the buttocks. Especially in my case. Haha you'll read why. Anyways please give my new story a shot. It's called "Remembering Sunday" and it's basically the same idea as Twilight; human girl falls in love with a vampire, forbidden love, you get it. But this isn't plagiarism, it's simply a story based on the _idea_ of Twilight. Things happen differently, and it's a different story completely. It's been pretty fun to write and I hope you guys will enjoy it. The sequel will be up in the next few days, so please be patient.

While I'm here, and I have a nice chance to blather on aimlessly, I would like to introduce you to my best friend while I'm writing: the Thesaurus! God how I love that thing. It's so convenient when I'm stuck on using the same words over and over again. God it's so annoying when the only words I can think of are "said" and "asked". It drives me CRAZY!! I don't know, maybe it's just me, but that really bugs me. I also have to thank the Lord for the built-in dictionary on Microsoft Works Word Processor. That is my writing program and even though it's kinda old (and free! unlike that stupid Microsoft Word 2007 that costs too much and in my opinion, kinda sucks) I love Works to pieces and that's all I will use. Anyways, I also couldn't take the time to write if it wasn't for the love of my life...music. Haha just kidding. But I really couldn't sit there in silence and write without some music. It's a sickness. I sing day in and day out, in the shower, and maybe even in my sleep. But regardless, I love all kindsa music (even a little bluegrass...blame my dad) and I would die without it.

If you're still here, you must really love me! Haha just kidding. Some music that I've lately become a little obsessed with is Metro Station. The songs "Kelsey" and "Control" are both so awesome and addictive. "Shake It" was the first song I'd ever heard from them but I've heard it so many times that it's gotten a little old to me. Oh well, I'm still addicted to their songs.

Anyways, I am now officially declaring that Solstice is complete! WOO!! Until the sequel, (which still remains unnamed...damn my awful naming skills! I suck so bad at that!! If I could, I would just name it "Story") bye!

-legallyxbrunette


	32. SEQUEL IS UP!

**For all of you who have been waiting, the wait is over! (I know I am totally milking this, but humor me, please!) The Solstice sequel is up, and I promise you will love the name! Haha, I updated all my stories today, so please enjoy!**

**Thanks,**

**-legallyxbrunette, Lauren**


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